Hello, Saturday!

Good morning/ afternoon/ evening to you! Glad you stopped by today.

Here's the question and answer from yesterday:
Fri, March 13: What did Moses give to the “Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph”? (Num 32)
Numbers 32:33 3 Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan-- the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

And here's the question of the day:
Sat, March 14: How many towns in all, should be given to the Levites? (Num 35)

And here's the reflection of the day:
In Acts 25 we pick up again in the middle of Paul's trial proceedings, proceedings which seem fairly long and drawn out. Not much "due process" going on here, I must say.

But it seems to be of Paul's own actions that things are dragging on and on. He's moved from judge to judge, court to court. No one seems sure of what he actually did wrong, yet he has angered so many people, he can't just be freed. (Sounds a little bit like Jesus' trial, doesn't it?)

We might assume that Paul's request for a change of venue in Rome and a different magistrate (this time the emperor) is simply a way for him to get a fair trial, away from Festus and his ulterior motives. BUT, if you look at the last couple chapters of Acts a bit more closely, you remember Acts 23:11: The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

So, Paul's decision to use his Roman citizenship to his advantage is not because he is concerned about winning his trial; it is because he know the Lord has plans for him to go to Rome. This makes it a theological point, rather than a legal maneuver. As one commentary says, "Rome is the city of Paul's destiny because it is in the script of God's plan of salvation" (NIB Commentary on Acts).

Paul's life story is the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. Ours can be that kind of story too. When our personal decisions are given divine importance and seen as a part of God's plan for our lives, our story becomes the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. When the actions we take--or choose NOT to take--and the words we say--or do NOT say--are considered in light of the plans God has for each one of us, our story becomes the story of a faithful God and a faithful servant. If we can see our lives as a part of God's story, we realize that there are no inconsequential decisions or meaningless interactions.

No matter how trivial we think the moment is, it is a chance to be a part of God's plan of salvation in the world.

Keep your eyes open for "trivial" moments today!
Allison