READING: Acts 27-28
“Some were persuaded by what he said, but others did not believe.”
Acts 28:24
All day long while under guard in Rome, the apostle Paul still preached; in fact, “from dawn to dusk he expounded and testified about the kingdom of God. He tried to persuade them [Jews] about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets” (Acts 28:23). Many with calloused hearts closed their hearts to Paul’s words and chose not to listen to him. Others, though, “were persuaded by what he said” (Acts 28:24). It is not entirely clear that those who “were persuaded” necessarily chose to follow Christ, but the contrast with those who would not believe suggests that their belief was an intentional choice.
These words mean a lot to me today. Today, December 3rd, would have been my dad’s 80thbirthday. We prayed for him for a lot of years, and he followed Christ when he was 71 years old. I still can’t explain what happened, but somehow the Spirit of God convinced dad of the truth of the gospel. Through turning from his wrong and trusting Jesus to save him, dad became a child of God—and his last few years were marked by the transforming power of the gospel.
God still does that, you know. He still works miracles through the proclamation of the Word. He still convinces people of the truth. He still makes sinners His children.
If you have not yet chosen to follow Christ, I encourage you to talk to Him about your life. Decide to follow Him, and ask Him to forgive you. Perhaps you today will be among the convinced.
ACTION STEPS:
- If you’re not a believer but want to be, pray to Christ and let Him know.
- If you are a believer, ask God to convince others of the truth.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for convincing me through Your Spirit.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Philippians 1-4
