“Some devout men buried Stephen and made loud lamentation over him.” (Acts 8:2)
Don’t confuse Christian joy with never being sad. Christians are often very sad. When Stephen was martyred, the brethren loudly mourned him. He was their friend and their brother, and they felt the loss keenly.
Christians are not always happy, but we are meant to be devoutly hopeful and joyous. We store our treasures in heaven, and the moth and rust of this broken world cannot decay our eternal hope, but we definitely feel beat up and bruised down here in this world from time to time.
Our Lord was called the Man of Sorrows, so we do not fear sorrow as a weakness, and He wept, so sometimes we do, too. Jesus was sad; He cried, but He also had a joy set before Him, and it sustained Him just like our joy sustains us. We don’t fear the tears of this life; we just will not be defined by them.
“…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites
Today’s Reading: Acts 7:54-8:4
Questions to ask:
- How does this show the continuation of Jesus’ work now going on in the church?
- How is the gospel, Paul’s preaching, and/or Paul’s defense received?
- What is the Holy Spirit doing in this text?
- What in our reading shows how Paul handled adversity and difficulty?
This year, #Biblebites are following the life and writings of Paul. If you would like a copy of the reading schedule, you can view it here: https://eastlandchristians.org/news-events/2023-vision