In Acts 16 we read the story of Paul and Silas being
miraculously loosed from their chains in the jail in Philippi. The jailer is
ready to kill himself, fearing that the prisoners had escaped and that he would
have to serve the punishment for all the escaped prisoners. However, Paul and
Silas and all the other prisoners were still in the jail. They hadn’t left, so
the jailer’s life was spared.
The jailer’s response was to ask Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?” [vs. 30] The disciples responded with the gospel
message: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved you and your
household” [vs. 31]. And, that’s exactly what the jailer did and his whole
household came to believe, also.
How do we know that the jailer believed? His behavior toward
the disciples drastically changed. Where, on his first encounter with Paul and
Silas, he had bound them with chains and thrown them in the innermost dungeon
of the prison, he was now taking them home and taking care of their wounds and
needs for nourishment [vs. 33]. One commentator, Barnes, said, “Often one of
the most striking changes that occurs in conversions is seen in the disposition
to be kind and humane to the suffering.” There was also a cross-reference to
James 1:22 which says, “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of God
and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
unstained by the world.”
So I asked myself the following questions: How am I doing in
these areas? What opportunities have I let slip by? I can think of times in my
past where I’ve cared for the needs of others, those suffering in some way, but
I couldn’t think of anything current. I decided to pray for opportunities. As
of writing this, I still have not seen any opportunities to directly help
orphans and widows, but I have been able to contribute to the finances of our
church as they have reached out to ministries in Haiti that work with orphans.
I plan on praying more for those ministries this year. And, I’ll keep praying
for the eyes to see where there is suffering and how I can help relieve it in
the lives of people I come into contact with.
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