Monday, January 12, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Acts 19-20
Key Verse
Acts 19:40 — “For we are in danger to be called in question for this day’s uproar, there being no cause whereby we may give an account of this concourse.”
Devotional Thought
What does it mean to follow Christ when the cost becomes real? In Acts 19, the gospel turns Ephesus upside down—not by violence, but by truth. Paul finds twelve disciples who had only known John’s baptism, and when they hear of Jesus, they are baptized in His name and the Holy Ghost comes upon them. For two years Paul teaches daily in the school of Tyrannus, so that all Asia hears the word. God works special miracles through him; handkerchiefs and aprons carry healing. Yet notice what happens when the gospel collides with commerce: Demetrius the silversmith, whose livelihood depended on silver shrines of Diana, stirs up the whole city. The crowd chants “Great is Diana of the Ephesians” for two hours, and Paul’s companions Gaius and Aristarchus are dragged into the theatre. The gospel is not merely a private comfort; it dismantles idols, and idol-makers notice.
Then in Acts 20, we see the shepherd’s heart. Paul sails past Ephesus, unwilling to spend time in Asia, for he hastens to Jerusalem. From Miletus he calls the elders and speaks words that still ring: “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock.” He reminds them that he kept back nothing, that he taught publicly and from house to house, that he warned everyone night and day with tears. He tells them he goes “bound in the spirit” to Jerusalem, not knowing what awaits him, “save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.” And yet he says, “None of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy.” This is not bravado; it is love. He kneels and prays with them, and they weep and kiss him, sorrowing that they would see his face no more.
In the middle of this passage is a small, tender scene: Eutychus, a young man sitting in a window, falls asleep as Paul preaches until midnight, and falls from the third loft and dies. Paul goes down, embraces him, and says, “Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him.” The young man is brought back alive, and they are “not a little comforted.” Even in the midst of riots and farewells, God cares for one sleepy boy in a window.
As January deepens and the year stretches before us, we may feel the pull of old securities—the comfortable idolatries of our age, the fear of what faithfulness might cost. Paul’s example asks us: Will we hold our lives loosely? Will we feed the flock entrusted to us, warn with tears, and commend one another to God and to the word of His grace? The gospel still grows mightily and prevails—not because we are impressive, but because the One who purchased the church with His own blood is faithful.
Reflection
- Where in your life has the gospel collided with a comfortable idol—something you fear losing more than you love Christ—and what would it look like to burn that “book” before all men?
- Paul said, “None of these things move me.” What would it mean for you this week to serve with humility and tears, keeping back nothing that is profitable, rather than protecting your reputation or ease?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank You that You purchased the church with Your own blood and that Your word still grows mightily and prevails. Teach us to take heed to ourselves and to the flock You have entrusted to us. Give us Paul’s courage to count our lives not dear, and his tenderness to warn with tears. When we are tempted to cling to idols or to fear what faithfulness may cost, remind us that You are able to build us up and give us an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Comfort us as You comforted the disciples at Troas, and let us finish our course with joy. Amen.