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- Oct 26, 2007
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But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed steadily into heaven and saw the glory of God, and he saw Jesus standing in the place of honor at God's right hand. And he told them, "Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing in the place of honor at God's right hand!" Acts 7:55-56
The church remembers Stephen, a deacon in the early church who was martyred after accusing the religious authorities of killing God's Messiah. In his final moments before death, when it seemed likely that a mob would soon stone him, Stephen saw Jesus ruling in the place of honor at God's right hand.
He had faithfully shared the hard truth with great boldness. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he not only had great courage, but he also saw things as they truly were. While there may have been men standing in judgment over Stephen, God ruled in heaven with Jesus at His right hand. As he trusted his life to God, not pleading for deliverance from the mob, Stephen also had great compassion for his executioners. He pleaded with God to not hold their sin against them.
When you see yourself under God's rule, you recognize your great need for His mercy. You won't harbor illusions about what you deserve or your superiority to others. You'll see that your life depends on God not holding your sins against you.
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I do believe the title of this devotional is appropriate to what I'm going to add. The need to be accurate while still attempting to use Scripture to guide people is necessary to the task. In reading the first paragraph it struck me how the timeline used here by the writer to describe the event that took place in Acts was incorrect. So, my addition here with the below Scripture verses on how the event of Stephen's stoning actually played out I find necessary. I did not delete this devotional, and add another, for in truth, the point it is trying to make was still made though it necessitated this additional comment.
YBIC
Nick
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Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things? 51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it]. 54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with [their] teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast [him] out of the city, and stoned [him]: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:49-60
The church remembers Stephen, a deacon in the early church who was martyred after accusing the religious authorities of killing God's Messiah. In his final moments before death, when it seemed likely that a mob would soon stone him, Stephen saw Jesus ruling in the place of honor at God's right hand.
He had faithfully shared the hard truth with great boldness. Filled with the Holy Spirit, he not only had great courage, but he also saw things as they truly were. While there may have been men standing in judgment over Stephen, God ruled in heaven with Jesus at His right hand. As he trusted his life to God, not pleading for deliverance from the mob, Stephen also had great compassion for his executioners. He pleaded with God to not hold their sin against them.
When you see yourself under God's rule, you recognize your great need for His mercy. You won't harbor illusions about what you deserve or your superiority to others. You'll see that your life depends on God not holding your sins against you.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I do believe the title of this devotional is appropriate to what I'm going to add. The need to be accurate while still attempting to use Scripture to guide people is necessary to the task. In reading the first paragraph it struck me how the timeline used here by the writer to describe the event that took place in Acts was incorrect. So, my addition here with the below Scripture verses on how the event of Stephen's stoning actually played out I find necessary. I did not delete this devotional, and add another, for in truth, the point it is trying to make was still made though it necessitated this additional comment.
YBIC
Nick
<><
Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? 50 Hath not my hand made all these things? 51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers [did], so [do] ye. 52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: 53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept [it]. 54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with [their] teeth. 55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58 And cast [him] out of the city, and stoned [him]: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon [God], and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Acts 7:49-60
