This is the daily benefit with Dr. Chokes, starting all day right with the super short Devotional Award class. Hey guys, today's reading is taken from Acts 22 verse 29. The soldiers who were about to interrogate Paul quit he withdrew when they heard he was a Roman sister and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped.
Let me ask you a question, would people that meet you know that you're a Christian? Hold that in mind. So today, Acts 22 sees Paul give his defence in front of the crowd in Jerusalem. Just a reminder that by this point Paul had already beaten and was now arrested.
Later on as they're flogging him some more, trying their best to force a confession out of him for a crime, they realise that Paul's actually a Roman citizen. You see, at the time it was a serious violation of Roman rights to even bind a Roman citizen without due process, so the authorities had already broken the law. And as today's verse says, they quickly stopped beating him when they found out that Paul was a Roman citizen and the commander was frightened because he had ordered him bound and whipped. Basically he was worried that he had broken the law.
There was surprise over Paul's citizenship. They really couldn't believe it. They asked Paul, tell me, are you a Roman citizen? I wonder whether your Christianity is like Paul's Roman citizenship, not obvious enough of you.
Is your faith transparent enough that people would know you're a citizen of heaven without having to ask? Would people be shocked and have to ask you? Tell me, are you a Christian? So let me ask the question again.
Would people that meet you know that you were a Christian? Do you wear your faith openly through love and sharing the good news? How do you respond to situations at work or university or at home? Are your responses Christ-like and grace-driven?
Today, don't hide your light under a bushel. Carry Christ's love openly as a true citizen of heaven. Pray with me. Lord, thank you for my eternal citizenship through dying on the cross for me.
Give me the boldness to wear my faith on my sleeve. Fill me with more love for others. In Jesus' name. Amen.