Flourishing Tree Or Tumbleweed?

 Jeremiah 17:5-10

Have you ever been through a really severe drought?  Not just a few weeks or a month or so with little rain, a rain deficit, but a period of several years where there has been little rain?  I remember watching some documentaries about great droughts that brought on the Dust Bowl in the American Plains during the 1930’s.  During extended droughts, most plant life will wither and die due to lack of water.  Most plants only have a chance to survive if it is close to a water source, such as a river.  Only those trees planted by rivers, with roots that go down deep, will remain green and alive.  Our Scripture today, from the Lectionary of the Book of Common Prayer for the 6th Sunday after Epiphany, describes such a tree, in contrast with one withered by a drought, comparing that with the life of one who trusts and follows the Lord versus one who does not.

For many years, many generations, the people of Judah had been mixing their worship of Yahweh, the one true God, with the pagan worship of false gods and idols.  And instead of completely trusting in the Lord God for help and deliverance from the military threats of neighboring nations, they instead made military alliances with other foreign, pagan nations.  God warned the people through the prophet Jeremiah, just as He does to us today, that when troubles come, if we’re trusting in someone or something else other than Him, we will be barren and unfruitful (vs. 5-8).  Those who trust in the Lord are fruitful, like a tree planted by water.

We all face troubles in our life.  In the last few years many of us around the world have been bombarded with many serious problems, sometimes more than what we can handle on our own.  Scripture instructs us, during these times, to put our trust in God, not in man.  Trying to replace God’s help with a man’s will only result in hardship and failure.  Only God can be our strength.  We cannot find it in ourselves or someone else.

With everything that is going on in the world today, with wars and rumors of war, so much illness, hostility with people everywhere, people want to turn to something for help.  God promised that those who turned to Him would be nourished, like that green and fruitful tree by the river during a drought.  Those who turn elsewhere will wither.

During these difficult times, God is right there with us.  He knows what we are going through.  If we turn to Him, He will be our safe place, and will keep us well-watered. God, alone, is our life-giving Source. His refreshment runs so deep that we are strengthened and nourished in spite of what is taking place in the world around us.  God wants us to be like the well-watered tree, clinging close to the water source, close to Him.

Don’t be like a tumbleweed.  Tumbleweeds come off of their roots very easily.  They live in places where rain is scarce and the land is dry.  They easily dry up, snap off their roots, and roll around.  They are the opposite of the tree described by Jeremiah.  Those trees, though in drought, never dry up.  Their roots go deep and are strong.  The tree remains nourished.

As Jeremiah closes up this portion of Scripture, he gives us a description of the heart of man, a description of all of our hearts.  The heart here is describing man’s innermost being, the bent of man’s natural disposition.  Without God man’s heart is deceitful.  It is desperately wicked, incurably sick.  Just a cursory look around at the world today shows this to be true.  Our heart will lie to us.  Our feelings are not reliable.  Emotions can lead us in devastating ways (Proverbs 16:25; Ecclesiastes 9:3).  We cannot trust our heart.  It has been inclined towards sin from the time we were born.  Only God truly knows our heart, and only He can redeem it.  Only a person with a redeemed heart can live in proper fellowship with God.

If we give our hearts to God, allowing Him to redeem us from our wickedness, as we turn to Him during times of drought in our life, during days when everything around us seems to be perilous, we can be that green, flourishing, fruitful tree.  We don’t need to be a dried up tumbleweed any longer.

Let Down Your Nets

 Luke 5:1-11

Every so often I hear someone say that they are hesitant to ask prayer for a relatively minor personal issue they have.  They say that they don’t want to “bother God” with their minor problems when He has all of the “big” issues in the world to take care of, such as pandemics, wars, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.   Do we ever feel that God can’t be bothered with our day-to-day concerns?  Let’s take a look today at a day in the life of the Apostle Peter, and how Jesus cared about the day he was having.

As we begin reading our Scripture passage, it was morning, and Jesus was by the Sea of Galilee (called by Luke with the name of Lake Gennesaret here).  In order to effectively be seen and heard by the crowds that were gathering around to hear Him preach, Jesus got into Simon Peter’s boat, which was anchored along the shoreline (vs. 1-3).  Then He proceeded to teach the crowds God’s message.

Peter, along with his brother Andrew, and his friends James and John, were commercial fishermen.  They had spent the whole previous night out upon the lake fishing.  However, they were quite unsuccessful that night, and brought no fish back.  Fishing was their livelihood, not just a hobby or pastime, so coming back with no fish in their boats was a financial loss.  One night without any fish would not mean they would likely starve, but if this happened several times in a row, it could spell a major financial hardship.  One night without a catch, though, might mean that a bill might not get paid that week, as that was like a day without pay.

As Jesus began His preaching, Peter and his companions were off to the side washing their nets, and repairing any tears or snags in them.  They were careful and serious fishermen who knew their trade well.  As Peter sat there, off to the side, he was probably listening to Jesus’s message, as well as working.  Peter was quite familiar with Him, having known Jesus since his brother Andrew introduced the two after Jesus’s baptism (John 1:40-42).  Peter, though, was undoubtedly feeling discouraged, depressed, and possibly even a bit angry or upset.

When Jesus finished His message, He turned to Peter and told him to return to his boat and go back out into the lake for a catch (vs. 4).  By now it was probably late morning, the sun higher up in the sky, and the temperature was warming up.  Peter, as an experienced fisherman, knew that during the day, when the water warmed up some, the fish would go down deeper to the bottom of the lake.  He had just spent hours the night before fishing, and had caught nothing.  Now he was tired, work was over for the day, and he wanted to go home to sleep.  Jesus’s orders did not make any sense, but Peter obeyed anyway (vs. 5).

Peter was obedient, but it was with very little faith.  However, the Lord honored his obedience, and they immediately caught so many fish that the nets were in danger of breaking.  The catch was so large that Peter had to summon his partners to come with their boat to help them bring all the fish in (vs. 6-7).  Peter’s obedience led to nets that were overflowing with fish.  By saying yes to the Lord’s plan, he experienced both material and spiritual blessings.  This was a miracle, and Peter knew that he was in the presence of the Holy One of God (vs. 8).  He was aware of his sinfulness and God’s all-holiness.

Peter knew that Jesus had healed the sick, and cast out demons.  Now he saw how Jesus cared about his day-to-day life, his livelihood, his family, and understood his needs.  His blessing to Peter wasn’t a mediocre one, or one that would just barely help out.  It was an abundant blessing, one that overflowed the nets.  God not only cared about Peter and his needs that day, He cares equally about us today.  God is no respecter of persons, and He does not show partiality (Romans 2:11).  The same love and care He showed to Peter, He will show to us.  This care isn’t just for salvation, though that is most certainly important.  Jesus cares about our daily needs, as well.  The omnipotent God is never overwhelmed with the problems of the world, and just as He cared enough to provide a boat full of fish for Peter after a night of nothing, He cares about each personal need we have today.  Let down your nets of faith to bring in the blessings that the Lord has for you today.

Witnesses Of The Resurrection

 I Corinthians 15:1-8

One type of evidence that most legal systems around the world recognize is that of eye-witness testimony.  If either side in a court case can produce some witnesses who, under oath, can testify that they saw something pertinent to the case, that is usually rather good for their side.  One eye-witness is good.  Two or three are even better.  How about a dozen?  That would be great, and most juries would be favorably impressed with that.  What if in a legal case, the defendant was able to produce over 500 eye-witnesses?  Our Scripture from the Epistles this week, takes a look at the case for the reality of the resurrection of Jesus.  Let’s look at what the Apostle Paul has to say.

Even as early as the days of the Apostles, there were some people going around the churches, claiming and teaching that Jesus had not really bodily risen from the dead.  This was in addition to the Jews, both Pharisees and Sadducees, who denied that Jesus had risen from the dead.  There are some preachers today who falsely proclaim that the resurrection is only figurative or spiritual, not a true bodily resurrection.  Throughout chapter 15 in I Corinthians, Paul gives a strong defense of the reality of the physical, bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

As our Scripture passage begins, Paul tells us that belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead is absolutely indispensable to one’s salvation (vs. 1-2).  Anything less than that will put your faith in vain.  Paul continues on, reminding the Corinthian believers that everything that he, along with the other Apostles, taught them was backed up with references from the Old Testament Scriptures (vs. 3-4).  He never taught anything that was just his own opinion.  Everything Paul preached to them came with Scriptural references to back him up, including his preaching on the resurrection.

In addition to having Scriptural evidence for the resurrection, something that the Old Testament prophets which the Jewish people in this time revered, Paul also pointed out that there were many eyewitnesses to this fact.  First Jesus was seen by Peter (here called by the name “Cephas”).  Then He was seen by the other twelve apostles (vs. 5).  Paul then gave the testimony that Jesus was seen by over 500 people at least one time between His resurrection and His ascension (vs. 6).  He said that most of these witnesses were still alive at that time, though a few had since died.  Jesus was also seen by James (vs. 7).  Most Bible scholars believe that this James was one of the Lord’s brothers, who did not believe Him during the three years of His ministry, but after the resurrection came to faith.  James was also the author of the Epistle by that name.  Then in verse 8 Paul related how he, too, saw Jesus physically after the resurrection, an event that occurred on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-8).

Here we have over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive in the flesh after His death on the Cross and His resurrection.  This wasn’t just one or two.  If that were all there were, one might say that they reported this because they were His friends, or perhaps were coerced into saying that.  With numbers like that giving eye-witness accounts that they saw Him, along with the many prophecies given in the Old Testament, there is no reason to doubt the truth of the resurrection.

There are four vital truths that Paul teaches us here in this Scripture.  First is that Jesus Christ died for our sins (vs. 3).  This is the substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice needed for our salvation.  Propitiation means the atoning sacrifice, the taking of the punishment due for our sins.  Secondly, Paul teaches that Jesus was buried (vs. 4).  That is evidence that Jesus truly died, not just passed out.  Except in old horror stories, nobody buries someone who is alive.  Thirdly, Jesus rose again.  He returned to life and remains alive today (vs. 4).  Lastly, Paul stated that all of this was done according to the Scriptures.  The facts of the Gospel were predicted in the Old Testament, and were each fulfilled by the Lord Jesus Christ.

If Jesus had not risen from the dead, we would think that the enemies of Christianity would have found even just one reliable witness to say that they had seen the dead body of Jesus after the claims that He had risen.  The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Sanhedrin claimed that the disciples came and took the body of Jesus, and hid it somewhere.  If that were the case, with all of the money and resources those groups had, one would think that they would have found the body, brought it out, and proclaimed the apostles all liars.  But they never did find or produce the dead body of Jesus.  Nobody has, because Jesus did truly rise from the dead!

The Divine Judge

 Psalm 75

Over the years I have occasionally watched legal dramas on TV, and even now and then watched Court TV, with the live or recorded broadcasts of real court cases.  One thing that you learn is that it is never wise to yell at, or be disrespectful to the judge.  Even if the defendant is completely in the right, it will never help his case to mouth off or make snarky remarks to the judge.  In our psalm today, the psalmist Asaph reminds us of our Divine Judge, who we will each one day be standing before.

As we read through this somewhat brief psalm of Asaph’s, we see that God is the Judge.  The day is coming when He will judge all mankind, everyone who has ever lived, including you and I.  No one will escape His judgment.  Another thing Asaph addresses is that God is the Judge, not any other person, not you or me.  In the first verse the redeemed are speaking.  Then throughout the rest of the psalm, it is the Lord God, our Divine Judge, speaking.

When we have a case that is to be heard in court, the judge or his office decides when that date will be.  Likewise, it is God who will decide when He will judge mankind (vs. 2).  For the believer, that will be at the Judgment Seat of Christ (II Corinthians 5:10).  For the lost, that will be the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11-15).  As Jesus said, no one but the Father knows the exact time these will be.

In the courtroom, occasionally we see a defendant who acts very arrogantly and proudly.  They show no one any respect, nor act with any humility.  As I mentioned earlier, that type of behavior won’t help their case. Sometimes the judge has to give a stern reprimand to the defendant for his behavior, maybe even hold him in contempt of court.  Our psalmist speaks of the proud and boastful who have no fear of God in them, who act arrogantly and proudly before Him, with no fear of His eternal judgment.  The phrase “lift up the horn” in verses 5, 6, and 10 refers to someone who is exceedingly proud, like a seemingly proud and strong animal with horns.   God is warning us, and the wicked in particular here to not be too proud and sure of ourselves.  Like the smug, conceited, and disdainful defendant who is guilty, but thinks he will get off just because of who he thinks he is, his judgment will come.

People, even within the Church, look to one another for promotion or affirmation (vs. 6-7).  However the Lord Jesus is the only One who will lift our “horn”, not other people.  When we try to lift ourselves or others, it brings pride.  When God does it, it shows humility.

Jesus gave us warning that when God brings His righteous judgment upon the wicked in this world, it will be worse than any time in history (Matthew 24:21).  Asaph describes this time of His judgment as having to drink a cup of liquid down to the dregs (vs. 8).  Drinking something “to the dregs” is to drink it all the way to the bottom where any sediment may have settled.  It is drinking it completely.  The wicked have arrogantly mocked God and scoffed at His Word from the dawn of time, and He has patiently, lovingly, and mercifully sought to call them back to Him.  Now the time for mercy has passed, and God will bring judgment.  Asaph pictures it as a cup that the wicked must drink down to the dregs.

In verse 9 Asaph sings his praise to the God of Jacob.  Throughout Scripture we read of God being called the “God of Jacob”. Why the “God of Jacob”?  God blessed Jacob, even when he deserved nothing good, as Jacob was so often a rascal.  That was because Jacob turned to God and repented.  God will honor and accept anyone who repents and calls upon Him as Savior, no matter what was in their past, just as Jacob did.  If they put their faith and trust in Jesus and what He did for us on the Cross, then they will be accepted by Him, and He will be their God, just as He was the God of Jacob.

Where will we be on that Day of Judgment that is coming ever closer?  What will our attitude be?  One of contempt and arrogance, tossing our head high?  Or have we come to His throne in humility, calling upon His Son Jesus to be our Savior.  For those who have called upon Jesus, He is our Advocate, our Divine Attorney (I John 2:1-2).  He will show the Eternal Judge the nail prints in His hands, saying that He has taken our judgment for us.  Let’s make sure we are prepared for that Judgment Day.

Mighty One Of Valor

 Judges 6:11-24

Are you a “glass half full” or a “glass half empty” type of person?  There are many people who tend to see the glass as half empty, looking at the world in a more negative and pessimistic way.  Perhaps they have been dealt some rather bad cards so many times in life, that is all they can see.  In our Scripture today we read about a time in Gideon’s life when he continually saw the glass as half empty due to some very challenging times in his and the nation’s life.

All throughout the Book of Judges we read of the people of Israel’s sin, and how they went their own way rather than obey God.  Thus, the Lord repeatedly allowed their enemies to rule over them.  When the account of Gideon opens the people are under the rule of the Midianites, whose treatment of them was quite harsh.  Among many other strict restrictions that the Midianites required the Jewish people to live under, one was in controlling and overseeing their food.  The people were not allowed to freely thresh their wheat and other grain crops.  Threshing was a process of separating the good kernel of grain from the outer husk or shell, called chaff.  This was usually done in a large, open area, where the breeze could blow the chaff away.  Because of their disobedience to Yahweh, and following after false gods, the Israelites were hard put to even feed themselves, much less enjoy prosperity.  Following after sin in your life will take you further than you want to go, and cost you more than you can afford to pay.

As our passage opens, Gideon was secretly threshing some wheat in a winepress, a small enclosed area, making it more difficult, but also keeping it secret from the Midianites.  This would mean a little bit more food for his family.  It was here that the Lord appeared to Gideon, where he received his calling to serve Him, lead the people back to worshiping the Lord, and defeat their enemies (vs. 11-12).  The Lord addressed Gideon, calling him a “mighty man of valor”, in other words, a brave, courageous, and fearless man.  Gideon did not see himself in this way, and probably not many others did, either.  Here he was, rather than openly defying the Midianites, he was doing the threshing in secret.

Gideon's response back to God was very negative, discouraged, and defeated (vs. 13).  He felt that the Lord didn’t care for him or his people any longer because of their current circumstances.  Gideon, though, didn’t want to admit that the nation and people had brought this upon themselves by their sins.  He overlooked personal accountability, and blamed it all on God.  How often do we do that in our own lives?  Rather than taking stock of sin in our own life, do we instead get angry at God, blame Him, and shake our fist towards heaven?

Despite the people’s sins, though, God had not abandoned them, and when the storms of life bombard us, He has not abandoned us, either.  The storms may be to try and test us, or may even be sent as discipline, but God will never abandon us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8).

God saw Gideon as a valiant warrior because He knew what He was going to accomplish through him.  Gideon saw himself as weak and little (vs. 14-16), because his focus was on his circumstances, rather than on the Lord.  He saw only his limitations and weaknesses.  He failed to see how God could work through him.  When we believe God, and depend upon Him to empower us, we become who He says we are.  God promises us all we need in order to do His work.

The Lord reminded Gideon that he didn’t have to rely on his own might, but on God’s.  We don’t have to be strong in ourselves because we have God as our strength.  Later in the Book of Judges, when Gideon trusted the Lord, he led an army of only 300 men, and through God's power defeated an army of over 100,000.  When we are united with God, success naturally will follow.

As we go about our day today, remember that if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, we are God’s child.  We are who He says we are.  Go out victoriously today, for the Lord is with you, O mighty one of valor!

Return To The Hometown

 Luke 4:21-30

A newspaper headline in a small village paper might read “Local boy returns as Evangelist”.  The older residents gather together and talk about this fellow, reminiscing about how they remember him when he was younger.  Now he’s back in town as a preacher?  Well, who is he to tell us how to live?  They recall everything they think he may have done as a kid, and now he’s a preacher?!  This scenario has probably happened numerous times, which is why many times young preachers often don't want to go minister in their hometown.  This is just what happened to the Lord Jesus when He returned to His hometown of Nazareth.  Let’s read how His former neighbors received Him in today’s Scripture.

As our Scripture opens today, Jesus had made a visit to His hometown of Nazareth, and on the Sabbath day, He went to the local synagogue.  As we begin reading our passage, Jesus had just finished reading Isaiah 61:1-2 aloud to the congregation, and as was the custom, they all waited for Him to make a commentary on what was read.  As He looked out to the group, Jesus said that this Scripture He had just finished reading was now fulfilled in their hearing (vs. 21).  This was a very specific claim that Jesus was the Messiah, who fulfilled the Scriptures.

The people of Nazareth did not want to hear this!  Who did this fellow think that He was?  He was only the son of the local carpenter.  His siblings still lived in the neighborhood.  Though Jesus had been educated in the local synagogue schools that all boys attended for a few years, learning to read and write, He hadn’t had any further formal education, such as with the scribes in Jerusalem.  That would have been more than His humble family could have afforded.  Yet now Jesus was back in town claiming to be somebody.  Some of them might have even been recalling a few nasty rumors that had probably circulated years ago about the mother of Jesus, and how Joseph had considered ending their betrothal due to her being pregnant (Matthew 1:18-19).  Some sitting there might have considered Jesus illegitimate, despite the fact that Joseph married Mary, which should have ended any rumors.  No special education, paternity possibly in question, working class background, and yet He wants to instruct us??Jesus knew their thoughts, and how the majority of those in Nazareth had long since hardened their hearts.  The townsfolk had heard of the miracles and healings that were done in other nearby villages, such as Capernaum, and some wondered why He wasn’t doing the same for them (vs. 23-24).  They were not accepting Jesus.  They had no faith.

Then Jesus brought to their remembrance two incidents that were in the Old Testament.  During the days of the great prophet Elijah, in the middle of a prolonged famine, the prophet went out of Israel and into foreign territory, to a widow in Zarephath.  There he stayed, providing her with a miracle supply of food, and even raising her son to life after he fell ill and had died (I Kings 17:8-24).  Jesus also reminded them of Naaman, a foreign general who the prophet Elisha healed of his leprosy (II Kings 5:1-14).  Though His congregation didn’t want to acknowledge it, both these people were Gentiles, yet God had cared for them.  Even though there had been hundreds of Jewish widows starving during the famine, and hundreds of Jewish lepers, none of them were healed (vs 25-27).  The times of both Elijah and Elisha’s ministries were times of deep and widespread unbelief in Israel.  God bypassed all the widows and lepers in Israel, and showed grace to two Gentiles.

The crowd became furious when Jesus suggested that God’s mercy and grace might be withheld from them due to their unbelief, yet extended to others.  Nazareth was showing profound unbelief in rejecting Jesus, and they would find God’s judgment upon them (vs. 28).  Now the very people He had grown up with were seeking to kill Him (vs. 29).  Instead of succeeding, Jesus walked through the mob and left Nazareth.  There were several times that Jesus escaped a premature death, a death before God’s set time.  This was one occasion, and then also in John 7:30; 8:59; and 10:39.

Have you been rejected by those you grew up with?  Maybe they recall things from your past, and now won’t accept you and the work you might be trying to do for the Lord.  Or perhaps you are the one rejecting someone you knew from years ago, and can’t believe that God would ever use that person.  Don’t be like those of Nazareth.  And if you are feeling the type of “welcome” that Nazareth gave our Lord, remember, you are in good company.  Though they had a great opportunity, Nazareth never accepted the Lord.  

Finish The Race Well

 II Timothy 4:7-17

At the end of the day, I sometimes will take stock of how the day went.  Did I get everything done that I wanted?  Could I say it was a good day?  People often do that at the end of the year.  Did they finish the year well, completing all they set out to do at the start?  These questions might go through one’s mind at the end of their life.  Are they satisfied with how they lived their life?  In our Scripture today from Paul’s second letter to Timothy, Paul was in his last days before his execution.  Let’s take a look at how he felt about his life in his final days.

Throughout his ministry, Paul had been arrested and imprisoned several times for preaching the Gospel.  Some of those imprisonments were more like house arrest, where he was able to have visitors, send letters, and accept gifts to meet his needs.  Other imprisonments were much rougher, where he was in a dungeon and chained.  This final imprisonment was like that.  This letter Paul wrote to Timothy was his final letter, and here in our passage, he gives his thoughts on how he felt his life went.

Although Paul had been beaten, stoned, and imprisoned, he never lost his faith (vs. 7).  He had been able to accomplish through God’s power, all that He had called him to do.  Paul was determined, if he had the opportunity, to continue on with the ministry God gave him.

One of the things that helped Paul carry on was knowing that God promised a Crown of Righteousness to him and all those who are eagerly looking forward to the return of Jesus (vs. 8).  Those who qualify for this crown anxiously look for Jesus’s return daily.  They live each day, loving and anticipating His imminent return.  They conduct their earthly lives with eternity’s values in view.  Those who have fought the fight, finished the race, and kept the faith will be given the crown of righteousness, as Paul received not long after this.

As Paul continued, he shared with his young, frequent companion Timothy how things were with him.  Paul was accused of preaching the Gospel message of Jesus, was arrested and imprisoned, and had to appear in court.  If ever someone has to go to court, it is a bit easier and comforting to have someone there with them, someone wishing them well, giving them moral support.  It was no different for Paul.  There were fellow Christians in Rome.  He had others who had worked in the ministry with him.  Yet at this very difficult time Paul found himself standing alone.  He mentions several names of people he would have hoped would be with him, yet they weren’t (vs. 10-12).  Demas had been, at one time, a close associate of Paul’s (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24), but now he had turned away.  He was a fair-weather disciple, who did not count the cost of genuine commitment.  Demas loved worldly values and worldly, sinful pleasures.  He loved what the world had to offer, such as wealth, power, and pleasure.  Some others, such as Crescens, Titus, and Tychicus, Paul sent away so that they would be able to continue spreading the Gospel.

Paul wanted to see the friendly, caring face of his protégé, Timothy, again before he left this earthly life.  He urged Timothy to come, and bring Mark.  He asked that he bring his cloak in order to keep warm in the cold, damp dungeon he was in.  Even more importantly, though, Paul wanted Timothy to bring copies of God’s Word (vs. 13).  In his final hours, having a copy of the Bible to read was most important.

We will run into various people who will turn against us in life, and to try to do us harm as we work for the Lord.  Alexander was such a one as that to Paul (vs. 14).  However, rather than ask Timothy to find a way to bring him similar harm, or worse, Paul left all vengeance in God's hands.  He did warn Timothy, though, to beware of him (vs. 15).  As the old proverb goes, “Forewarned is to be forearmed.”

As Paul closed, he sadly related to Timothy that when he had to appear in court for his defense, everyone had forsaken him (vs. 16).  He was all alone.  Sometimes we may feel that way, as well.  Yet, like Paul knew, he was not really alone.  The Lord stood with him (vs. 17), and he was able to proclaim the Gospel in the highest court of the world at that time.  Though human support had fled from him, God stood with Paul.  The Lord never leaves nor forsakes His children (Hebrews 13:5).  When all else fails, the Lord stands solidly at our side, giving us strength.  We can always rely on Him.

Though friends and family may leave us, Jesus will never abandon us.  He is faithful, and will never leave us (Deuteronomy 31:8).  Knowing this, we need to focus on the finish line of our life.  Don’t quit.  Run the race with endurance, as Paul did.  God is watching, and cheering us on as we fight the battle, and strive for the finish line.