Category: Devotion of the Day

Paul’s Confession

But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers.
Acts 24:14

In His matchless defense before Felix Paul is not ashamed to belong to the sect of the Nazareness. He declares his position. He asserts revelation behind him: “Believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets.” He anticipates the resurrection ahead of him: “And have hope toward God…that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” He takes responsibility upon him: “And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God and toward men.”

It is possible to be very orthodox about revelation and the resurrection and yet to assume little responsibility for the way we live today. Paul lived today with that day always in mind. Faith in revelation past and hope in the resurrection to come should show up in godly exercise now.

The Lesson of the Cave: God’s Presence

And after the fire a still small voice.
I Kings 19:12

It was the day after Carmel. The day after the big day can be a very bad day. From His baptism our Lord went to meet the devil. After the third heaven, Paul came to his thorn in the flesh.

But Elijah learned at the cave what he never learned on Carmel. We make so much these days of wind, fire, and earthquake, of the sensational and spectacular, of the dramatic demonstration on Carmel. We measure everything by “How big?” and “How loud?” God’s voice in the cave was still and small. He does indeed speak in wind, fire, and quake, but those are occasional. Woe unto us if we are so deafened by the whirlwind that we cannot hear the whisper!

We are in great danger of going from one Carmel to another, living on excitement, mass meetings, and amazing demonstrations, that we need a session in the cave. Let us not deafen our ears to the quiet moving of God’s Spirit in hundreds of humble hearts whose work of faith and labor of love will outlast anything on Carmel.