Thursday, January 16, 2025
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Acts 26
Key Verse
Acts 26:17 — “Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,”
Devotional Thought
The scene in Acts 26 is a courtroom, but it reads more like a sanctuary. Paul stands in chains before King Agrippa, the great-grandson of Herod the Great, with Festus the governor and Bernice seated nearby. This is the same Agrippa whose family had murdered John the Baptist and mocked Christ; yet Paul addresses him with remarkable warmth: “I think myself happy, king Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee.” Paul is not merely defending himself. He is preaching. He tells his own story—his strict life as a Pharisee, his fury against the church, the saints he imprisoned, the voice he raised against them when they were put to death. Then he tells of the light at midday on the Damascus road, brighter than the sun, and the voice in the Hebrew tongue: “Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” He recounts the commission given him: to open eyes, to turn men from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God, that they might receive forgiveness of sins.
What strikes us is Paul’s honesty about his past. He does not soften his sin. He admits he was “exceedingly mad against them,” persecuting believers “even unto strange cities.” There is no pretending he was always a good man. His testimony is not a polished résumé but a confession of grace. And at the heart of it all stands one great hope: “Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that God should raise the dead?” Everything Paul says hinges on the resurrection. If Christ is risen, then no sinner is beyond reach, no darkness is final, and no chain—literal or spiritual—can bind the gospel.
Festus interrupts with scorn: “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” How often the world still says the same of those who take the resurrection seriously. Yet Paul answers with quiet dignity: “I am not mad… but speak forth the words of truth and soberness.” Then he turns to Agrippa and asks, “Believest thou the prophets?” Agrippa’s reply has echoed through the centuries: “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.” Almost. That word has haunted many a soul. Paul’s answer is tender and bold: “I would to God, that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost, and altogether such as I am, except these bonds.”
In mid-January, when the year still feels new and resolutions may already be faltering, Paul’s testimony reminds us that God specializes in turning persecutors into preachers. The question Agrippa faced is ours: not almost, but altogether? Christ still calls, still forgives, still sends.
Reflection
- Agrippa was “almost” persuaded. Where in your own life are you settling for almost rather than altogether in your obedience to Christ?
- Paul openly confessed his past sins before kings. What part of your story might God be asking you to share honestly so that others can see His grace?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, Thou who didst shine brighter than the sun on the Damascus road, shine into the corners of our hearts this day. We confess that we have sometimes been almost persuaded, lingering near the door but unwilling to enter fully. Forgive us. Like Paul, make us willing to tell the truth about our past and to boast only in Thy grace. Give us courage to speak of the resurrection before a scoffing world, and tenderness to invite others—not almost, but altogether—into the inheritance of the saints. Deliver us from the fear of bonds, and let our lives be sober, truthful witnesses to Thy risen power. Amen.