Acts 21:13-14

Acts 21:13-14 - Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” When he would not be dissuaded, we got up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Paul had given up his life to serve Jesus. It was no longer about comfort and enjoying worldly pleasure, but about Jesus. In his letter to the Romans he puts it this way, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).” He was willing to suffer for Jesus, even to the point of death.

Paul knew that the Holy Spirit was leading him to go to Jerusalem. He also knew that the would be bound and imprisoned when he got there. All the believers that were with him were trying to persuade him not to go, but he had made up his mind to follow Jesus, whatever the cost.

God has a plan for each one of us. He has a purpose and a calling that we stepped into when we first accepted Christ into our hearts. Overall the plan is the same, it is just the details that differ. We are called to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. Wherever we are, whoever we are with, this should be our goal.

God may not ask you to go to prison for HIm, but would you be willing to? It is God’s desire is that all people be saved and come to know Him (1 Timothy 2:4). We are the instruments that God uses to reach people in the world. Wherever there are people, God needs someone to testify. What has God asked you to do? Where has He asked you to go? Are you willing to give up what you have in obedience to Him?