July 16, 2010

Acts 20:1-16
Paul’s traveling group at this point has increased to 8 in addition to himself, Silas and Luke, almost as large as the discipleship group of Jesus.
It was Sunday evening in Troas. They were gathered together to break bread in the upper room of the house. Paul ‘prolonged his message until midnight.’ (Man! And some people say I speak too long.) As Paul ‘kept on talking,’ a young man was overcome by sleep, fell out of the window sill and died on the pavement below.
Wasn’t the glory of the Lord enough to keep him awake? Couldn’t Paul have said everything that needed to be said in 20 minutes? Shouldn’t the boy have been prevented from sitting in the window sill? Shouldn’t there have been some kind of rail on the window to prevent the boy from falling out? They are all questions that would have been asked now-a-days. There surely would have been angry feelings from the family toward Paul. Most likely there would be a lawsuit.
There was sorrow expressed. They were troubled. But the glory of the Lord was present. The glory of the Lord is often present in the midst of trouble. Paul embraced the boy. He was brought back to life with no damage done to him. They went back inside. Paul talked until daylight. They broke bread together again. They took away the boy alive, and were greatly comforted. What comforted them, just that the boy was alive? The boy would die again. He might be an old man, but he would die again. What comforted them? They had seen, heard and experienced a foretaste of the glory of Jesus. For those who know Jesus, even death is not victorious. We don’t die until He is ready for us to die. And when we die, we know there is a resurrection awaiting us. That is all because of our glorious Lord! Such knowledge reorients our lives and provides great comfort as we live them and experience the hardships around us. We must focus on His glory! Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!
--Pastor John