Acts 26:15-18 (NRSV)
Read Acts 26:15-18 on biblegateway.com
Verse 15I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' The Lord answered, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. Verse 16But get up and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to serve and testify to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you. Verse 17I will rescue you from your people and from the Gentiles-to whom I am sending you Verse 18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'
Devotion
Have you ever checked into a hotel after dark, alone? It used to be a common occurrence for me. The first thing I would do—hopefully before the door closed—was turn on a light and breathe a sigh of relief that a homicidal maniac wasn’t sitting on one of the beds. Darkness can be frightening, filled with uncertainty and fear. In Christ, we are promised light and the forgiveness of our sins. Like walking into a strange hotel room, sometimes the path ahead seems dark and foreboding; but if we stop and look, we can see the light of Christ, shining and leading us on.
Prayer
Gracious God, you have given us many lights to our path—ancestors in faith, your Word, friends, family, pastors, teachers. Help us to be watchful for your actions in them, and for the light that never dies—Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord. Amen.