“The other day,” Stan mentioned one morning during breakfast, “I was walking over in the old part of town and I saw something that reminded me about the apostle Paul’s time in Ephesus. It’s a good lesson for me that I’d like to pass on.”
“What’s that?”
Rather than answer my question directly, Stan asked, “You know that old house at the corner of Hickory and Jones?”
“Yeah,” I said. “It’s been vacant and abandoned for years. What about it?”
“There’s now a sign on it that says it has been condemned and is going to be torn down.”
“So how does that have anything to do with Paul, Ephesus, and some lesson for you?”
“As you may remember,” Stan replied, “when Paul got there, Ephesus was pretty much focused on idol worship.”
“Yeah,” I said, “I do remember something about that. Didn’t a lot of people in Ephesus worship some goddess named Artemis or something like that?”
“That’s right,” Stan agreed. “And what Paul did and didn’t do is the lesson for me in how I relate to other people today.”
“That was a long time ago,” I said. “How does it have any application to you today?”
“When Paul was in Ephesus,” Stan replied, “he didn’t condemn those people who worshipped the idol. Rather than condemning them, he proclaimed Jesus and showed them the difference the Living God could make in their lives. It seems to me that’s the way I’m supposed to be.”
“Not condemn those who don’t believe, but proclaim Jesus so they can measure the difference between where they are and where they can be. Is that it?”
“That’s it, my friend,” Stan replied. “I’m not to condemn, but I am to tell them about the way to be restored!”
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Bible verses to consider:
See Acts of the Apostles 19:23-41 for the account of Paul in Ephesus that is the basis for this WFTT devotional.
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the the world should be saved through Him. John 3:17.
And if any one hears My sayings, and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. John 12:47.
There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1.
Prayer: Thank you, Father, for giving Jesus as the way to life eternally with you, the life that begins here and will continue forever, through His finished work on the cross. Thank you for the lesson of Paul in Ephesus, that he did not condemn the idol worshippers who were in darkness, but he showed them the light of Jesus. Help me be the same in showing and telling others the truth of life eternally with you, the life that is both for now and forever. Thank you that I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Think on this: Have you stopped worshipping idols in the sense that you have accepted God’s free and gracious provision of life eternally with Him through the finished work of Jesus’ cross? If no, why do you choose to remain separated from God both now and forever? If you are a Christian with the assurance of salvation and redemption, how are you doing with not condemning those who don’t believe? Do you show them the light of Christ rather than condemn them for being in the darkness? If you sense the desire for change with any of this, how is that change going to happen? Is that what you truly desire? Why or why not?
The need: Since God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8), what does God know you need in order to reach others with the light of Christ? Spend time on this in prayer, reflection, and journaling to see what God knows you need. He will show you!
Forward: Do you know others who would or could benefit from this devotional? If so, why not forward it and open them to be part of the conversation between Stan and S. Tory Teller?
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