In Acts 23:11, we read, "That night, the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Keep up your courage!...For you must also bear witness for me in Rome." Paul had been flogged, beaten,shipwrecked, and imprisoned in serving the Lord. And now he finds himself on the way to Jerusalem where he is facing a death threat by the Jews there. Then, God comes in and speaks to Paul saying, "Keep up your courage! I have more for you to do! I'm sending you to Rome!" It must have felt to Paul to be more than he could handle!
"Now, Rome was the capital of evil; it was not a place where life would be made easy for a Christian apostle. Paul had no way of knowing that he would be imprisoned again for a long time before he would ever get to Rome. And all that time,, Paul witnessed to others in order to justify God's plan for him, the witness that we read about in Acts, still today.
When we feel tired and out of gas, God will come to us when we ask and says, "Be courageous, my love, for I have more plans for you." We know God has said, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." God knows what He has planned for each of us, even if we do not ourselves know. We must acknowledge, that even when we can't see how God is working, God is right there beside each of us, encouraging us, and cheering each of us on.
Lord God, we thank you that we can hear you say, "Never give up; keep your courage." Amen.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in His sight!
Jo INMN
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