Thursday, January 8, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Acts 13
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 4
Key Verse
Acts 13:27 — “For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him.”
Devotional Thought
What does it look like to be sent by God? In Acts 13, the church at Antioch gives us a living picture. Among their prophets and teachers were Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, “Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.” Notice the order: worship first, then sending. The Spirit spoke not in a frenzy of activity but in the stillness of fasting and prayer. And when the call came, the church fasted and prayed again, laid hands on them, and sent them away. They were “sent forth by the Holy Ghost” (v. 4) — the church released them, but heaven commissioned them.
Their first stop was Cyprus, and there the mission met resistance immediately. At Paphos they encountered Elymas the sorcerer, a false prophet who withstood them and sought to turn away Sergius Paulus, the deputy, from the faith. Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, did not flinch. He named the darkness plainly and pronounced blindness upon the deceiver — and the deputy, seeing what was done, believed, astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. This is no tame gospel. Where God sends, He also contends.
From there the journey pressed on to Perga, where John Mark departed from them, then to Antioch in Pisidia. In the synagogue on the sabbath, Paul stood and preached a sweeping sermon from Israel’s history — the fathers in Egypt, the forty years in the wilderness, the judges, King Saul, David the man after God’s own heart, and from David’s seed, Jesus. He declared the forgiveness of sins and justification by faith, “from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses” (v. 39). Some believed; others were filled with envy and contradicted. Yet the Gentiles “were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed” (v. 48). Even when Paul and Barnabas were expelled, they shook off the dust and went on, and the disciples “were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost” (v. 52).
In the cold of early January, when resolutions are still fresh and the year stretches ahead, this chapter asks something of us. It asks whether we will make room for fasting and listening, whether we will go where the Spirit sends even when opposition rises, and whether we will trust that God’s word will not return empty. Psalm 4 sings in the same key: “The LORD hath set apart him that is godly for himself” (v. 3), and “I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety” (v. 8). Sent, opposed, and yet safe — that is the shape of a life yielded to the Holy Ghost.
Reflection
- When did you last quiet yourself before God — through fasting, prayer, or simple stillness — long enough to hear what He is calling you to do?
- How do you respond when the gospel you share is rejected or opposed? Do you shrink back, or do you shake off the dust and keep going in the joy of the Holy Ghost?
Prayer
Lord God of our fathers, who chose Israel, raised up David, and brought forth Jesus from his seed, we thank Thee for the glad tidings of forgiveness and justification by faith. As the church at Antioch ministered and fasted before Thee, teach us also to wait upon Thy Spirit and to go where He sends. Give us boldness when Elymas rises to withstand, and gentleness when hearts are slow to believe. Let us not grow weary when some reject the word, but like Paul and Barnabas, shake off the dust and press on. Fill us with joy and with the Holy Ghost, that we may lay down in peace and dwell in safety, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 4:1 — “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.”