Turn Evil For Good
BRD REFLECTIONS:
Acts 16:16-40 and Psalm 24:1-10 (NIV)
(Joyce Lo, from Small Group Ministry)
READ:
Acts 16:16-40 and Psalm 24:1-10 (NLT)
OBSERVE:
Acts 16:16-40 was a remarkable experience for Paul and Silas with so much for us to learn from. It was their most challenging time but yet opportunities prevailed despite what they were going through. From this, we can see how God can turn evil for good, how He used Paul and Silas to bring salvation to those He loves.
Challenge:
The deliverance of a possessed girl through the power of Jesus over the evil spirits which then led to their imprisonment, because the master of the slave girl was angry with them for making him lose his scheming business.
Opportunity:
- Paul and Silas were arrested, beaten and imprisoned because they delivered the slave girl from being demon-possessed. However they were not afraid and continued to worship God by singing hymns and praying in the prison cell. The other prisoners were listening to them, amazed at their faith in God whom they worshipped.
- Prison cell doors supernaturally opened through an earthquake in the midst of their worship which gave them the opportunity to escape but they chose to stay to minister to one of the jailers who witnessed the miracle. The jailer repented and together with his whole family, accepted Christ and were baptised that very night.
APPLY:
This passage brings a great reminder that every challenge in my life gives me an opportunity to grow in my faith, instead of feeling defeated. It is easier said than done but it is not impossible. It is always a choice; an option for me to choose to either dwell on the bad circumstances I am in and sulk or to focus on what God can do through me and how I can overcome with God being my strength and my defender. I have personally experienced this when faced with many disappointments at the workplace but yet at the same time, He has brought many blessings in other ways like blessing my family and church ministry. Therefore, I can continue to share of His goodness and mercy, and declare that God has always been with me and He never left me alone even in bad times.
DO:
I thank God for blessing me with a loving and supportive family, many like-minded Christians in the marketplace and friends in church that even when I face many challenges at the workplace, I am reminded to always fix my eyes on Jesus, offering my sacrifice of praise to Him.
PRAY:
Dear God our Father, thank You for Your great love for me. Your mercy and Your grace have brought me through many challenges and I know they were meant to build me and not break me. I pray that I will continue to be deeply rooted and strengthened in Your love, so that You can use me to reach out to many who have yet to know You and I can share Your loving kindness in my life. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
