Acts 20.22-24 - Toughing it Out

Acts 20.22-24 - Toughing it Out

We are saved through our troubles, not from them.  “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians 10.13). In Acts we see Paul bravely practicing what he penned. His temptations were a painful brew of conspiracy, corruption, and confinement served up by Jews and Romans. Sadly, these woes are all too ‘common to mankind’ even in our day. Preachers who promise escape from pains or problems are exposed for their folly by Paul’s hardships. In Acts we’ll not see Paul freed from prison, but we’ll see him unwaveringly faithful in his chains. He is such because ‘God is faithful.’ And God’s ‘way out (is) so that you can endure it.’ Emmanuel is our endurance.