Devotional Song: ... GO TO THIS LINK ... Please take the time to take in song and lyrics from Kyle Simon singing … Love Your Enemies … poignantly singing of Jesus, thru His word, calls us to love all, … including our enemies.
Paul and Silas reach out to save their jailer ...
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Highlight Passage : … Acts 16:27-28 [ESV] ... 27 When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”
… Paul and Silas could’ve escaped from prison; but they reached out to save their jailer, who was about to commit suicide [see photo].
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Highlight Passage [context] : … Acts 16:16-34 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK …
… Paul and Silas, with an opportunity to escape their imprisonment, reached out to save their Phiippian jailer, who was about to kill himself.
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Reference Passage : … Matthew 5:43-48 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus calls on His disciples to not only love our family/friends but our enemies as well.
Reference Passage : … Luke 6:27-36 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK …
… Luke also records Jesus calling on His followers to love our enemies as we love ourselves and others we love.
Reference Passage : … Romans 12:19-21 [ESV] ... USE THIS LINK …
… Paul quotes from Deut. 32:35 with God’s instructions to leave vengeance to the Lord.
Reference Passage : … Galatians 6:9-10 [ESV] ... 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
… Paul calls on fellow Christians to continually exercise Christlike compassion, reaching out to help any/all in need of God’s grace.
My Devotional Journal: Today's Our Daily Bread author, Kirsten Holmberg, AT THIS LINK tells a story of prisoners having the opportunity to escape when their guard had a stroke; but they chose to stay and help him get medical help.
This real life episode immediately called the ODB author to recall the story (from the highlight passage) of Paul and Silas in a dungeon jail in Philippi when an earthquake released them to be able to escape. However, the disciples of Christ lived up to God’s call (see Reference Passages) for them to reach out in love and save the jailer who was about to commit suicide (see photo).
The application is obvious, isn’t it? But what would be our response if we had the opportunity to bring vengeance on our enemies? We’ve seen a lot of that in our streets these days, haven’t we? And as Christians, we can see that if we responded like Jesus calls on us (see Matt. 5 and Luke 6 above), there would be no rioting or looting in our streets, would there?
So, … join me; … let’s pray diligently for our world these days; … to become as Jesus and Paul called us, as Christians, … to reach out with Christ’s love/grace whenever we see the opportunity today.
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My THANKFULNESS: ... Oh Abba Father, ... thank You, Lord, … for charging us, … as Your disciples, … to love as You love … ALWAYS!
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My Prayer Today: Oh Abba Father, ... King Jesus, ... I pray, Lord, that all reading here will join me, … to reach out, even to our enemies, and show Your love and grace whenever we are wronged by others. Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.</ span>
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