Daily Devotional

(Note: Welcome to my on-going devotional series in Acts 16–28. I encourage you to look back at past devotionals and stay current. Today we come to Acts 26).

In Acts 26 we find the apostle Paul now standing before King Agrippa II...

• the son of Agrippa...who killed the apostle James
• the grandson of Herod Antipas...who killed John the Baptist
• the great-grandson of Herod the Great...who killed the children in Bethlehem.

It amazes me that Paul, knowing the king's murderous family history, still considers himself “fortunate” (v. 2) to be bearing witness of the hope of the resurrection God, promised so long ago and made possible through Jesus, the Messiah. Paul shares the personal story of

• his strict religious upbringing
• his misguided zeal to punish Christ-followers
• his heavenly vision of the Risen Lord Jesus
• his dramatic conversion, and
• his divine calling “to open their eyes so they may turn from darkness to light...receive
• forgiveness of sins and an inheritance” (v. 18).

Paul was now spending his life “testifying to both small and great” (v. 22) even if it meant suffering and dying. Governor Festus thinks Paul is out of his mind (v. 24) but King Agrippa is almost persuaded (v. 28). If Paul had not appealed to Caesar, the king would have set him free (v. 32). God had a different plan.

We may not be called to stand before kings but wouldn’t today be a good day to share our own salvation story with the “almost persuaded”—family, friends and casual acquaintances whose hearts are being enlightened by the Holy Spirit?

New American Standard Bible (NASB)
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