Today’s thought “And when they heard this they glorified God” (May 9)

Today’s thought

“And when they heard this they glorified God”

(May 9)

Can we not say today, when we read it, that we “glorify God”? What is the “it” that brings glory to God? Well, the chapters we read today in Acts told us how Paul, after all this travels, finally returns “to Jerusalem”, and “the brothers received us gladly” (Acts 21:17). Then we read that Paul, after greeting them,

“related one by one the things that God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry” (verse 19).

Let us particularly notice of their reaction!

“And when they heard it, they glorified God” (verse 20).

Today we do not have a Paul to return and give us detail of the success of his travels in spreading God’s word, but some of us can listen to the reports of some who have, and even see pictures, and most of us can read the latest news of how the gospel has spread to distant parts of our world – and into many languages. My wife and I were uplifted yesterday by the unexpected pleasure of meeting ‘Joyce’ – a sister from India whom we have not seen for many years, in my wife’s case, for over thirty years!

So we rejoiced and “glorified God” for this encounter and all the things we had previously been privileged to witness in following “the path of life”, knowing, as David had written that there will come a time, “by his grace” (Titus 3:7), when “in your presence there is fullness of joy …” (Psalm 16:11). Oh the wonder of our anticipations of that time to come “in your presence”!

We compare this with what we read in Proverbs a few weeks ago,

“… the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day”.

We long for the “full day” when – by the grace of our Lord – we will even meet Paul and be among the great many who, in various situations, have “glorified God” in their lives.

Preceding

Believing in the send one and understanding that one does not live by bread alone

Authority given to him To give eternal life

Extra verses to remember by The Zeal for the Name to be proclaimed

Every athlete exercises self control