Lent Day 33 - Acts 17-18

Campaign trail - travelling to different places telling everyone possible why they should vote and specifically why they should vote for a certain candidate.  No, no we are talking about Paul not politics.  Are we? You can't deny there are similarities - Acts 17:2

As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures.

Paul reasons, explains, and proves why Jesus is the Messiah.  Verse 4 says

Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.

We see a diversity in the following - Paul is reaching as many as possible with the Good News. But then what happens in verse 5:

But other Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd.

Let the smearing begin, the bad press, the lies, and even drag down his associates in this case Jason.  That sounds a lot like today's campaign trails.  Thankfully, Paul's message is one of hope, love, and salvation.  From these two chapters I'm drawn to Paul's proclamation in Athens, Acts 17:24-28

 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.

I do believe God is reminding me again to seek Him, reach out for Him, and find Him.  His love for us is unimaginable.  If you have children you know what I'm talking about, giving up your own son to save others.  And as we look deep inside ourselves we think - yuck look at all the bad I've thought, said, done, read, listened to, laughed at, watched.  How can God love me that much?  Verse 28 says it all - we are his offspring.  We belong to him, we are his children.

Let us call out to him telling him we don't deserve this love but so desire it.  His grace and mercy are enough.  For in him we live and move and have our being.