For
The Sake
Of The Name
When they heard this, they were enraged
and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the
people, stood up and ordered the men to be put outside for a short time. Then
he said to them, "Fellow Israelites, consider
carefully what you propose to do to these men. For some time ago Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of
men, about four hundred, joined him; but he was killed, and all who followed
him were dispersed and disappeared. After him Judas the Galilean rose up at the
time of the census and got people to follow him; he also perished, and all who
followed him were scattered. So in the present case, I tell you, keep away from
these men and let them alone; because if this plan or
this undertaking is of human origin, it will fail; but if it is of God, you
will not be able to overthrow them - in that case you may even be found
fighting against God!"
They were convinced by him, and when they
had called in the apostles, they had them flogged. Then they ordered them not
to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. As they left the council, they
rejoiced that they were considered worthy to suffer dishonor for the sake of
the name.
Acts 5:33-42
The LORD will never display His power and
grace at an inappropriate time or place, but He always provides according to
the difficulty of the hour. He does not impart strength until it is needed. We
shudder when we think of what some of God's children are enduring because of
their faithfulness to the Savior. Many have chosen the path of intense
suffering rather than following the line of least resistance. Would we do the
same?
As servants of Jesus Christ, we can take
one step at a time with Him. We can be confident that no matter where we are
at, the Lord's bridges of grace will be just right to allow us safe passage to
the other side.
God gives enough
grace for each trial we face.
Our
Daily Bread -