Acts 20
Getting the Price Tags Right
The story is told about some boys in Philadelphia who broke into a hardware store on Halloween night. They didn't steal anything; they just switched the price tags on all of the items in the store. Hammers were selling for four hundred dollars. TVs were listed as two for a dollar. Mousetraps were on sale for forty-nine dollars and a gallon of paint was fifty cents. You could purchase a brand new gas grill for nine dollars. The store had a problem of mixed up values. When people started checking out, the store owner saw the values were incorrect and he closed the store to fix the problem.
Our lives are a lot like that hardware store. The world says that certain items are worth much more than they really are, while other things are not valued at all. The truth is that Satan has come into the store of our culture and switched the price tags on the items in life.
We need to find out - what is really important? We need to ask God to put the correct price tags on the things of life that really matter.
Here is a short list from our reading today of the true valuables in life.
We must value Jesus. In verse 19 Paul said that he was serving the Lord. Thirty times in the NT Paul refers to himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. A servant doesn't live for himself;he lives to please his Lord.
Is this how you started your day today, "Lord, good morning, what do You have set on your agenda today? Where do you want me to serve you?"
We must value the Holy Spirit. Paul was very sensitive to the Spirit's leading. He says, "compelled by the Spirit." Can you honestly say that the Holy Spirit is directing your life? Listening to His quiet whisper must be one of our top commitments. This quiet listening can only be done when all of our devices are off and we are sitting quietly in silent expectation.
We must value a great mission. In verses 24-31 Paul is crystal clear on his mission. He wants to finish his race well. His race is to testify of the good news of God's grace to an unbelieving world. Each one of us has been give a unique race to run by the Lord. Do you know and value the race he has called you to run?
On this July 4th weekend Jesus is recruiting courageous people to value their relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit and the race He has given them.
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