Day 274 "The Importance of Being There"

Passage: Acts 18:4-5

Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.

Devotion:

Before Timothy and Silas arrived, Paul "reasoned in the synagogue", "trying to persuade Jews and Greeks". But then everything changed, he stopped making tents, and "devoted himself exclusively to preaching". Something else happened as well, he no longer debated and theorized in the synagogue; instead he completely changed his tactics and began "testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ". You will note the difference between reason and persuade versus testify. It's a really big difference. An attorney reasons and tries to persuade with words and interpretations. But a witness testifies as to fact, by saying, "This is what I saw. This is exactly what happened to me." It becomes personal and so much more effective. So what happened that caused Paul to make such a decisive and immediate change in his ministry? The answer of course is the arrival of Silas and Timothy.

Not long ago I was speaking before a rather large group of people when I found myself floundering; the words just wouldn't flow smoothly from my mouth; the audiences' attention began to drift, and I knew I was headed toward disaster. I searched the crowd for a friendly face, and there sitting on the far right side, in the very back, I was surprised to find my wife Sherry. She caught my eye, gave me a wifely smile, and then nodded her encouragement. I stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, smiled back, and began again. I don't need to tell you that what followed was one of my more impacting talks. All I needed was a little encouragement to get back on track.

Paul needed a little help and encouragement as well, and God delivered it in the person and presence of Silas and Timothy. Remember it was not what they said or did that mattered to Paul -- it was simply their presence that made the difference.

Questions to Ponder:

Have you ever missed an engagement and thought, "They'll never even miss me" I don't know if we truly appreciate the value of our presence in support of loved ones, friends, church family, or co-workers. Many times it's the act of just "Being There" that can matter most. Is your presence more important and valuable than you might think?