Acts 18:19 – Verse of the Day 1/27/14

This verse comes at the very end of Paul’s second missionary journey (Acts 15:36-18:22) and sets the stage for his third (Acts 18:23-21:14). Paul’s mission was primarily to the Gentile nations, but he always began in the synagogues in order to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament. Paul’s method was to proclaim Jesus clearly, and then allow the Holy Spirit to work on the hearts of his listeners rather than trying to coerce them to believe (in verse 20, they ask him to stay, but he declines and tells them he will return if it is God’s will).

Faith in God is perfectly reasonable, but we only accept God’s truth if the Holy Spirit works in our hearts. Sometimes theologians speak of knowledge, understanding, and trust as three different ways of grasping the truth. As you pray, ask the Lord to help you not only to know the truth, but to understand it and trust it. Pray that your trust in God’s truth would lead you to trust God himself, and lead you to seek greater knowledge in order to grow even deeper in understanding and trust.