Why This, God?
“Is it legal for you to flog a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been found guilty?” Acts 22:25
Have you ever wondered why God placed you in a particular family, city, job, or circumstance?
At the time, you may have felt adrift or ostracized. You may have asked, “Why did God allow this?” I’ve felt that way sometimes, especially when the situation was stressful, people were cruel, and I felt trapped. In those seasons, the promise of Romans 8:28—“In all things God works for the good of those who love him”—is hard to accept.
Other times, we may gain a skill or acquire knowledge that seems irrelevant to what we think God has called us to do. We may say, “I’m wasting my time” or worse—“God’s wasting my time.”
So how do we move past those feelings? Paul’s experience in Acts 22 provides some guidance.
After God transformed Saul, the persecutor of Christians, into Paul, the ambassador for Christ, God began to show Paul how every facet of his life was going to be used for God’s glory. The education Paul had received as a Pharisee enabled him to communicate with learned Jews on their level. His upbringing in Tarsus gave him a cosmopolitan perspective on the world. And, as we learn in Acts 22, his Roman citizenship prevented him from being beaten and/or imprisoned sometimes (vv. 25–30). Everything about Paul’s pre-Christian life enabled him to be a more effective missionary and servant of God.
We never know what God is going to do with the people, the situations, the challenges, or the blessings he brings our way. A casual conversation can turn into a lasting friendship. An unexpected windfall can lead to a generous donation. A difficult job can lead to an opportunity to share the gospel with a coworker or to support their spiritual journey. When God says “all things” in Romans 8:28, he means all things.
Paul was wise enough to recognize that being a Roman citizen was a God-given gift that could be used for Paul’s protection and God’s glory. Take an inventory of all the blessings God has given you—talents, skills, resources, education, personality traits. How can you use those gifts to build God’s kingdom and encourage other Christians?
Dig Deeper
What did Paul emphasize in the testimony he gave in Acts 22:3–21? What do you emphasize in your testimony? If you’ve never spoken or written your testimony, do that this week and share it with someone. (Read Denise’s testimony and Nancy’s testimony.)
What did Paul say about his past life in Philippians 3:3–6? How were those credentials both a help and hindrance to him? What is most important to him according to 3:7–10? How have your credentials helped and hindered you?
Review the ways we can encourage and support others in Romans 12: 4–8 and 1 Thessalonians 5:12–15. How might you put at least one of them into practice this week?
Denise K. Loock
This devotion is part of our series on the book of Acts.