Acts 16:22-32 (NIV)
The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and
Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison,
and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully.
Upon receiving such orders, he put
them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns
to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Suddenly there was such a violent
earthquake that the
foundations of the prison were
shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains
came loose. The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword
and was about to kill himself because
he thought the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself!
We
are all here!" The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and
Silas. He then brought them out and
asked, "Sirs, what must I do to
be saved?" They replied, "Believe in
the Lord Jesus, and you will be
saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his
house.
I often wonder...how far will God go to reach you &
me? Here we see that Paul was being used to
spread the Gospel...but he allowed
this child of his to suffer more...to suffer
greatly that the Message of Hope may be heard.
Paul is arrested, beaten
and then he and
Silas continue to
Worship the Lord. They were not so concerned at what happen
to the "temporary body"
they were in. The Spirit
of God gave them strength them...and
they continued to honor the
Lord. God reached the
jailer and the other prisoners....they heard the Message that the Lord of Heaven
loved them, came to forgive their sin....and
they responded. It is the simple Gospel
Truth....he loves you
and he loves me and he
will do whatever it takes
to reach us....and if you are a believer
already....he will use you in any
way He wants (if we allow him) so that he may reach others that have
not heard....that the God of Heaven
HE LOVES THEM....SO MUCH...THAT HE
DIED FOR ALL OF US WHO HAVE DISOBEYED HIM......(ROMANS 3:9-11)
God bless you!~Liz
www.lizrod.com
