Author: BTP

“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

It is interesting that it was the Apostle Paul who wrote these words, as he never knew the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth. Paul never heard the Lord Jesus actually say those words. Someone must have told Paul what the Lord Jesus said, and he repeats it here, when he was speaking to the Ephesian elders. But it is a very important truth to remember.

The happiest Christians are those who are givers, for it is being more like the Lord Jesus Himself. God is a giving God, and has given us the greatest gift of all—His own beloved Son. Now He calls us to be givers too.

Naturally we all like to be takers, but there is a special joy in being a giver, and giving glorifies God too. When we have received so much, it is wonderful to be able to give to others.

“For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

If we are true Christians, we have the privilege of remembering the Lord every Lord’s day. Of course, we can do it oftener than that too, but it is especially important to do it on Lord’s day—the day He rose from the dead. However, Paul reminded the Corinthians that it was a privilege they would have only until the Lord comes to take us home.

When we are in heaven, we will certainly remember that the Lord suffered for us, but we will not need a loaf of bread and a cup of wine. We will forever be able to see the nail prints in His hands and the spear mark in His side, to remind us of how much He suffered for us.

However, it is a special privilege to be able to remember Him down here in this world. It is here that He suffered for us, and it is here that we can “show the Lord’s death” to the world. If you are truly saved, are you remembering the Lord in His death?

“And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot” (Acts 20:13).

We all realize the importance of getting some regular exercise, and perhaps some of you like to jog, work out with weights, or play sports, etc. Others, perhaps older people, like to ride stationary bikes or run on treadmills. Here in our verse for today we see the Apostle Paul wanting to walk from Troas (Troy) to Assos. It was quite a distance—about 20 miles, or 32 km. I like to think that he felt the need for some exercise, and perhaps a chance to be alone with the Lord, rather than having to talk to other people the whole distance. So all the others (you can read their names in verse 4) went by ship, while Paul walked.

This is the wonderful thing about the Word of God. It is truly inspired, and every word was written by those who were led by the Spirit of God, yet there is still a “human touch” in it. It is not just a dry record of what happened. All those whose lives are recorded in the Bible were real people, just like ourselves, and they had the same struggles and needs as we have.

“Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness: but a faithful man who can find?” (Proverbs 20:6).

This verse was true three thousand years ago when Solomon wrote it, and it is true today. If something good happens to people today, they usually take credit for it themselves. But if something bad happens to them, they usually blame someone else for it. They say it was someone else’s fault. When people write a resume, if they are looking for a job, they usually exaggerate their good points, and minimize their faults. Even while speaking to the police, or in court, people often tell wild stories about what happened in, say, a car accident, to try and make it look as if the other driver was at fault.

As our proverb says, “A faithful man who can find”? You and I, as Christians, should be faithful ones who can be depended upon to tell the truth, even if we are in the wrong. This is honoring to the Lord, and although we may suffer in the short term, in the long run we will be honored of the Lord for being truthful.

“And the whole city was filled with confusion…and when Paul would have entered in unto the people, the disciples suffered him not. And certain of the chief of Asia, which were his friends, sent unto him, desiring him that he would not adventure himself into the theatre” (Acts 19:29-31).

“For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia…insomuch that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

It is always good to listen to the advice of others, and later Paul was probably very glad that the disciples and some of his friends persuaded him not to venture into the theatre at Ephesus to try and speak to the crowd. The crowd was fanatical and “all worked up emotionally,” and they were not in any mood to listen to Paul. Later, as we find out in our second verse, written later in 2nd Corinthians, Paul realized how dangerous the situation really was. He could easily have lost his life, if he had tried to go in among that wild mob.

If you read the whole story in Acts 19:23-41, you will find out why there was such a riot in Ephesus at that time. But Paul escaped, and was not harmed. Once again, Paul’s conduct is a good example for us. Sometimes we really want to do something for the Lord, but others can see that it would be dangerous for us to do it. It is a good thing for us to listen to their advice.

“Many of them also which used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men” (Acts 19:19).

When many came to know the Lord in Ephesus, they burned a lot of books that had to do with “curious arts” and charms. These books were all about idol worship, and had brought those people under Satan’s power. Satan has many ways of working, and uses such things as Ouija boards, charms, bands around people’s arms, casting spells, etc. These books were all about this kind of thing, and when people got saved, they wisely burned all those books that they owned. They wanted to get rid of anything that reminded them of Satan’s power, and the captivity in which they had been held.

You and I may not be involved in anything like that, but if we have anything that takes us away from the Lord, and reminds us of what we were like before we were saved, it is a good idea to get rid of it. Then we will not be tempted to go back to something that can only be a hindrance to our spiritual growth.

“And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: so that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11-12).

“And greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father” (John 14:12).

The city of Ephesus was a well-known center for false religion and idol worship, and the temple to the goddess Diana is still regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. But God was going to save many in that city. He used Paul especially to show that God’s power was far greater than Satan’s. Some things he did were even greater works than the Lord Jesus did while He was on earth, for we never read of handkerchiefs or other pieces of cloth belonging to the Lord Jesus being used for healing, or casting out of demons.

God was clearly demonstrating the power of a risen Christ in glory, after He had completed the work on the cross, and was triumphant over Satan. Now Satan was clearly a defeated enemy, and those who followed the Lord were able to perform wonderful miracles, to prove that what they said was from God Himself. As a result, a great number came to know the Lord in Ephesus, where many people had previously followed Satan and worshiped idols.

“The borrower is servant to the lender” (Proverbs 22:7).

“Owe no man any thing” (Romans 13:8).

Today almost every adult has at least one credit card, and they are very handy when you go shopping, for then you do not need to carry a lot of cash. However, they have also made it easy for people to get into debt, and sometimes big debt. As I write this in February, 2024, here in Canada 92% of those who have credit cards are unable to pay off their balance when it is due. Then they end up paying a huge amount of interest on the money they owe.

If you are a young person, and perhaps do not have a credit card of your own yet, these verses give good advice. Make a firm resolve not to use a credit card unless you have the money in the bank to pay it off. That way you will not get into debt, and you will honor the Lord by not owing money that you cannot pay. Also, you will save yourself a lot of worry and stress.

“Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot…and he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him [the Lord Jesus] unto them” (Luke 22:3-4).

I would not expect most of you to know this, but today’s date is the anniversary of another betrayal and murder. On this date, in 44 B.C., Julius Caesar, the first dictator/emperor of Rome, was assassinated by a group of about forty Roman senators, most of whom resented Caesar because he had become dictator for life. One of the principal men involved in the plot was a man named Brutus, whom Caesar had befriended and supported. Julius Caesar was not expecting to be killed that day, and most of all, he did not expect Brutus to be involved.

But the Lord Jesus knew all about Judas Iscariot’s plot to betray Him, and how he would be rewarded by the Jewish leaders for this. All this shows us how far a wicked person can go in pretending to be a true believer, yet all the while be ready to betray the Lord Jesus for a sum of money.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (Proverbs 14:34).

God is not working specifically with any one nation right now, for His grace goes out to every nation, telling them to come and be saved. However, when a nation does what is right, they are exalted, and things go well in that country. In years gone by, most western countries respected the Bible, and their laws and culture were built on Biblical principles. Sadly, all that has changed in the past few years, and many things that are sinful, and contrary to the Word of God, are being allowed and even made legal.

As a result, we are finding out the truth of the second part of today’s verse—“sin is a reproach [disgrace] to any people.” Things are not going well for many countries today—countries that used to be governed by Biblical principles. If man gives up God, then God often lets them feel the effect of dishonoring Him. We should not be surprised, for God has told us in His Word that this would happen. However, we must be on guard in our own lives, so as not to allow ourselves to become part of this sinful tendency. We must be even more familiar with the Word of God, for it is our moral standard, not what goes on in this world.