THOU ART PERMITTED TO SPEAK – Acts 26:1
Monday, December 1st, 2008Acts 26:1 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself:
Paul had been imprisoned for a long while. God had promised Paul that he was going to preach in Rome, but God did not indicate to Paul how long he was going to have to wait. When God had told Paul that he was going to preach in Rome, Paul most likely presumed that he would be in Rome in a very short period of time. Instead, God had Paul in a place where he was waiting.
However, while Paul was waiting, God was preparing another occasion where Paul was going to preach the gospel to a very influential leader, king Agrippa. King Agrippa asked to hear Paul and Paul did not need any more invitation than that. Had Paul gone to Rome right away, he would have missed this opportunity to share the gospel with Agrippa.
We must understand that the timing of God is not always our timing. God knows what wonderful opportunities HE has for you if only you will patiently wait for HIM. Because we are in such a hurry to see God answer our prayers now, we lose focus on the ministry opportunities that God has for us where we are at today.
Paul was focused upon serving God where God had him that day. While Paul had not even started his journey to Rome, God had a purpose and Paul made sure that he took advantage of the opportunities to serve God where HE had him that day. There were people who needed to hear the good news right where Paul was at that time. As rulers came to see Felix, Felix would tell them about Paul and they desired to hear the message that he had to share.
God does not always show you the ministry that you are going to have to a person in advanced. However, if you are diligent to study the word of God, God will bring people into your life who you can encourage in the ways of God. Why should God use you if you are not taking the time to prepare in your life to be used of HIM? Why should God bring people to you to minister to if you have not first taken the time to ensure that your heart is right before God?
When king Agrippa asked Paul to speak, it was like pitching a fast ball right down the center of the plate. Paul was prepared to answer that question so that God would be glorified. Paul did not need to be asked twice.
Paul was focused upon the things of God. Paul had learned in whatsoever state that God had placed him in to be content. If Paul was focused upon his unfair circumstances, when Agrippa asked Paul to speak for himself, Paul would have been quick to tell Agrippa about how unfair life was. Paul would have then lost this wonderful opportunity to spread the Good News.
In order to be focused upon the things of God, one must first be ready to give up the notion that life is fair and that God owes you something. If you are going to have a worldly attitude, you are going to miss many wonderful opportunities God has for you. However, by focusing yourself on the perfect will of God, you will be able to trust HIM to meet your every need.
Take your mind off of the things that this world has to offer you. Diligently add temperance to your life so that you can maintain a proper attitude towards the ministry opportunities that God has for you. As you say no to discontentment and yes to a willing attitude to serve God, you will quickly find God giving you wonderfully new opportunities to serve HIM.