Falsely Accused; Live out your Purpose no matter your Circumstance
Falsely Accused; Live out your Purpose no matter your Circumstance
Have you ever been falsely accused of something? It is a terrible feeling. If you’re like most people this infuriated you and you did everything possible to set the record straight. You probably felt judged and hated that people were making these judgments based on wrong information.
In the 16th chapter of Acts we find Paul and Silas unfairly accused of disturbing the peace. They get arrested and thrown in jail and kept in the maximum security cell. All they were doing was living out their purpose. They were teaching people about Jesus.
The way these two react is dramatically different than what most people would do. They were so locked in to their purpose that they didn’t bother worrying what others thought. In the midst of their terrible circumstances, they were singing praise songs to God. They didn’t complain, or try to tell all the other prisoners of their innocence. Instead, they were praying and rejoicing at midnight! I love this picture.
“Along about midnight, Paul and Silas were at prayer and singing a robust hymn to God. The other prisoners couldn’t believe their ears. Then, without warning, a huge earthquake! The jailhouse tottered, every door flew open, all the prisoners were loose.
Startled from sleep, the jailer saw all the doors swinging loose on their hinges. Assuming that all the prisoners had escaped, he pulled out his sword and was about to do himself in, figuring he was as good as dead anyway, when Paul stopped him: ‘Don’t do that! We’re all still here! Nobody’s run away!’
The jailer got a torch and ran inside. Badly shaken, he collapsed in front of Paul and Silas. He led them out of the jail and asked, ‘Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live?’ They said, ‘Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live – and everyone in your house included!’” (Acts 16:25-31 The Message Bible)
When God causes an earthquake to open the prison doors, Paul and Silas do not run and escape as quickly as possible. They are so in tune with their purpose that they think of the jailer before themselves. When the jailer is about to kill himself they cry out, “We’re all still here”. They don’t want him to hurt himself. This act of kindness saves and changes the jailer’s life forever.
What an astounding example for us. This person should have been their enemy and adversary, yet they treated him like a friend. Again, I believe because they were so engaged and tied to their purpose, they couldn't help themselves.
What about us? Do we even take the time for the people that we work next to; the people that we live next to; the people that we worship next to? Do we live as though we care if these people know Jesus and his saving power?
What about living out your purpose for this season in your life? Would you like to live with such purpose that every moment of your day you are ready and willing to pursue it no matter your circumstances? I believe this is how we’ve been created, but we let our culture and circumstances take us off course. We believe we need to be worried about things that really don’t matter. We end up wasting a lot of time and energy on things not associated with our purpose.
If you’d like to get on track to living with purpose on a daily basis sign up for a FREE Removing Roadblocks Strategy session here: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16180229&appointmentType=7330977
I’ll talk more about Paul and Silas in another blog. I’ll explore how their unusual response brought about an unusual opportunity. Until then…
