Jer. 1-2
Jeremiah’s initial response to God’s call was to say that he was too young to speak with authority to kings and rulers. God reassured Jeremiah that He would give him the words, the authority, and the protection that he needed. And so Jeremiah obeyed and became a mouthpiece for God. This is yet another affirmation that God equips us for that to which He calls us. We don’t need to be afraid or to give in to our feelings of inadequacy. Truth is, God doesn’t need our strengths. He needs our willing hearts and our trust. Turns out, He is most likely to find those in our weaknesses.
Acts 26
Pride stands in the way of accepting truth. The Jews knew the scriptures – the writings of the Law and the Prophets. This was especially so for those who made the study of the scriptures their life’s work. And yet when the fulfillment of that which they studied stood in their midst, they did not recognize it. Their pride wouldn’t let them. Jesus was not what they were expecting, so to admit that He was the promised Messiah was the same as admitting that their expectations had been wrong; that they had misunderstood. Couldn’t have that!
Paul did nothing in his ministry but point out to people how Jesus is indeed the fulfillment of God’s Promise in the Holy Scriptures. It was for this that he found himself on trial. And in giving his testimony to King Agrippa, a Jew, he did what he always did – He revealed Jesus as the Christ according to the Law and the Prophets. It is uncertain if King Agrippa received God’s truth through Paul. It does seem, however, that he at least was able to drop his pride enough to hear it. And whether he ever fully received God’s Truth or not, he was at least able to discern the truth from the lie in Paul’s case, recognizing Paul as being innocent. If we, like Agrippa, want to be able to discern the truth from the lie, we need to keep our hearts humble.