Sacrifice Saves But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. (Acts 16:25–26 NKJV) It seemed like the perfect opportunity—a divine jail break. In the middle of the night, an earthquake struck the prison where Paul and Silas had been wrongfully incarcerated and there was no one around to prevent their escape. Had they been preoccupied with their own agendas, they surely would have snuck away under cover of night. However, Paul and Silas sensed there was a greater work of deliverance at hand, so they stayed put. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.” (Acts 16:27–28 NKJV) In that culture, a jailer faced the humiliation of execution if his prisoners escaped. Rather than have his life taken from him, Paul and Silas’s jailer drew his sword and prepared to take it himself. Just then, Paul’s voice rang out from the rubble, “We are all here.” Instead of saving themselves by leaving, they saved the jailer by staying. What follows is a powerful picture of what happens when we set aside our own self-interests. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:30–31 NKJV) Something special happens when we’re willing to sacrifice what might be most beneficial for ourselves. It lends credibility to our creed and gets the attention of those watching our lives. Just as the jailer was won over because Paul and Silas sacrificed themselves for his sake, there are those in our lives who would do the same as the jailer if we would do the same as Paul and Silas.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 09:58:20 +0000
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