With a Subtitle: End this year and begin the next by making sure you and your family are doing what followers of Jesus would have been doing then and should be doing now.

A brief Excerpt: Acts 8:3 contrasts Christmas joy with early Christian persecution, urging reflection on Christian values and preparedness for persecution.

The Author is: Rich Holt

Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Acts 8:3, “As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison.”

Background

Christmastime around our house is filled with a lot of activity. Beyond the expected bustle and activity of Christmas morning with the kids, there are several gatherings where family and extended family come to our home to fellowship and celebrate before and after Christmas. And as the house fills up with people for these events, the noise and the energy respond in kind, usually in direct inverse correlation to the age of the visitors. But what also fills the rooms is a wonderful sense of peace as we gather together in one accord for the sake of one Person. And of all the sounds from this cyclone of visiting and laughing and eating, one of my favorites is the knock on the door, or the ringing of the bell, when someone has arrived. Better yet is the sound of those who just come right in, not bothering with the unnecessary formalities expected somewhere else. Looking up and seeing another coming in the back door, usually with their hands full of some delightful dish, is like feeling a wave of God’s grace and peace rushing in every time the door opens. Never once have I tensed up for fear that this knock is by someone who has come to drag me off to prison. But it has happened. Not to me, but to many others.

Application

The great apostle Paul may have been the first and best to do it. Before God changed his heart one afternoon, he went door to door, collecting unwilling donations for his stockpile in prison. Families would be in their homes, doing what new Christian families would be doing, and then Paul, who still went by the name Saul, would be banging on their door. But he wasn’t bringing peace and a delightful dish. He brought havoc and persecution and misery. When your doorbell rings, I don’t want you to be fearful. But one day, for us or our kids or their kids, the knock will not be one of peace. What I want for us is to examine what is going on within our walls. Would there be cause for you and yours to be dragged down to prison? Are you busy doing what Christian families should be doing?

Charge

As we seek Him today, end this year and begin the next by making sure you and your family are doing what followers of Jesus would have been doing then and should be doing now.

Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words