Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Acts 14:8-18.
The miraculous healing of a man who had been lame since birth would have been a dramatic and impressive act. It was the kind of thing that a human being could not do alone. The crowds immediately thought that their pagan Greek gods, Zeus and Hermes, had come to earth in the form of Barnabas and Paul and had done this healing. Paul and Barnabas used this as an opportunity to give their witness of the one true God, the One whose healing power they had depended upon in order to heal the lame man.
There is a lesson in this for all of us. We are not God! Sometimes when we do good things in ministry, people are impressed and they want to give us the credit for any impressive results. Our human tendency is to accept the praise and enjoy the compliments. But if we do that, we miss the opportunity to give the credit and glory to God, as Paul and Barnabas did so faithfully in this healing. No one is likely to think we are God, but when they compliment our lesson or sermon or act of kindness, it would be good to remember that we do these things only through the gifts given to us by our Heavenly Father.
Personal Worship Option:
Give thanks today that sometimes we are moved to help others and to do the right thing. When someone notices this and asks us why we did it, remember to say it is simply because we follow Jesus Christ. That combination is the most powerful witness possible!
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