Wednesday... It is so easy to think of the end instead of the opportunity.

Acts 28:31 (NIV),  "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ - with all boldness and without hindrance."

Wednesday... It is so easy to think of the end instead of the opportunity.

I keep thinking about the end. Now I don't know when that will be but the older I get it seems that I become more focused on it. But is it really what I should be doing? Oh we need to be ready to die. We need to know and take care of our relationship with God. That takes care of the negativity of death.

But here is how Luke the writer of the book of Acts finishes the book. A big part of this book is about the Apostle Paul but here is how Luke ends the book. Verses 30 and 31 says, "For two whole years Paul stayed in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ - with all boldness and without hindrance." Luke doesn't tell us how Paul died. He wrote about what he did. And maybe there is a truth for me at 79 and you at whatever age you are. Yes, this verse caught my attention as I finished this book.

Yes, as Christ followers death only means that our work here on earth is over and the real life is just starting. Here again in the last chapter of the Acts of the Apostles it says, "He proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ - with all boldness and without hindrance." I think that our concern about when we are going to die can definitely be a hindrance.

Now this last chapter tells of Paul's arrest and his being brought to Rome. In this last chapter it tells of Paul being around a fire on the island of Malta. Up to this point there had been so many opportunities for him to die. And here he was gathering some brushwood and a snake fastened itself on his hand. Verse 4 says, "When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.'" But Paul shook the snake off. His task was not done and if we are still alive then that is true of us.

For some it means that God is giving them a chance to give their life to him and he has given us the task to let them know about him.

Now Luke in verse 16 says, "When we got to Rome, Paul was allowed to live by himself, with a soldier to guard him." And that was not a negative to God. That was a great opportunity for Paul to share about Jesus to someone who also guarded the leaders of Rome.

We can look at our life and see so many negatives when in reality they are opportunities from God to do what he has called us to do.

Now the New Testament doesn't tell alot about how the Apostles died. It just tells of what they did to share Christ. You see death is not the end for the Christian it is just a small part of our life. Yes, Paul was killed but his message and writings still live on. That is how God works.

So let's give our focus to the opportunity that God has for us. Yes, yes! #todaysbeginning