Devo Acts 25

Chapter 25
1Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to
Jerusalem, 2where the chief priests and Jewish leaders appeared before him and
presented the charges against Paul. 3They urgently requested Festus, as a favor to
them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush
to kill him along the way. 4Festus answered, “Paul is being held at Caesarea,
and I myself am going there soon. 5Let some of your leaders come with me and
press charges against the man there, if he has done anything wrong.” 6After
spending eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next
day he convened the court and ordered that Paul be brought before him. 7When
Paul appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him,
bringing many serious charges against him, which they could not prove. 8Then
Paul made his defense: “I have done nothing wrong against the law of the Jews
or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor,
said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there
on these charges?” 10Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court,
where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself
know very well. 11If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I
do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews are not
true, no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!” 12After
Festus had conferred with his council, he declared: “You have appealed to Caesar.
To Caesar you will go!”

Meditation:
1. Paul has kept his identity as a Roman, a Jew, and a Christian. He diligently
laboured for the Lord, he obeyed the Roman’s law, and he didn’t defy the
Temple. Therefore, Festus and King Agrippa knew he was innocent.
2. Everyone has different identities, a citizen of a country, an employee of a
company, a student of a school, a friend to someone, a member of a family.
How am I keeping my various identities? In trying to maintain one identity,
am I overlooking the others? Who am I at the core of my identity?
3. Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to show me where I need to change and improve.
Ask God for the needed strength.

Personal Note:
I am a citizen of Canada, pastor of PGC, alumni of Tyndale, fiance to Vicky, friend to MANY (700+ on FB hahaha), oldest son in my family.  How am I keeping my various identities?  I sometimes feel that each of the identities competes for each other for time, energy, and money.  I need to be reminded that all those identities are part of who I am, and at the core of my identity, I am a child who belongs to God. (John 1:12)

I pray that we all can be convicted of our true identity of belonging to God through receiving God's free gift of salvation and having a changed heart and mind living for God's glory.