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Sunday, July 5th, 2015
CityLight Church’s One Year Bible Reading Plan
1 Chronicles 1:1-2:17
Acts 23:11-35
Psalm 3:1-8
Proverbs 18:14-15
For full text click here: http://bit.ly/1quYQtZ
Commentary from Pastor Mike White:
But the following night the Lord stood by him and said, “Be of good cheer, Paul; for as you have testified for Me in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness at Rome.” – Acts 23:11
Paul was in danger of losing his life. Forty men were lying in wait for him, ready to ambush and kill him. Yet the Lord stood by him and told him to be of good cheer! How could Paul possibly be of good cheer, when everything was crumbling around him? Only with the Holy Spirit’s help!
“Good cheer” is the Greek word tharseo (Strong’s #2293), which is multi-dimensional. It means to be 1) of good courage, and 2) full of joy. Maintaining both our courage and our joy are essential if we are going to bear witness to Jesus!
Courage would not be required if proclaiming the Gospel did not entail risk. Joy would not be required if sharing the Good News was always easy. Sometimes, sharing the Gospel is hard! It can involve incredibly difficult conversations with the people we love the most. But God is our strength, and our joy, through it all!
Be encouraged. Be joyful. You were put on this earth to preach the Gospel with good courage and full of joy. When we do our job of preaching the Gospel to every man and woman, God will do His good work in us! He will refresh us, and give us new life that can never be taken away. When we see Him face to face, His refrain will be the same for us as it was for Jesus: I am well pleased.
Prayer:
Father, refresh me to do Your mighty work! Sharing the Good News is not always easy. Showing the love of Jesus Christ to the people around me can be hard. Help me to do Your work with a smile on my face, and peace in my heart: knowing that everything I do is for You!
© Michael D. White, 2015. All rights reserved.