Acts 14:18-19 And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them. And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.
Are You Successful in God’s Sight?
It is amazing how many people do not know how to drive stick shift these days. Have you ever heard someone grind the gears? It kind of makes you cringe, doesn’t it? While reading Acts 14, I could almost hear the gears grinding when I read verses 18 and 19 about the work of the Paul and Barnabas. It’s almost as if the Bible shifts from 5th gear, highway speed, directly into reverse as it talks about how people responded to the message these men gave.
Verse 18 says, “And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.” Earlier in verse 11 they had said of these men, “The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.” That seems like a pretty good day for Paul and Barnabas if “good” were to be judged by how well people treated them. What these people were saying about Paul and Barnabas was blasphemous, but they were obviously very high on these men.
Verse 19 says, “And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.” In one moment, the Bible speaks of people wanting to treat these servants of God as if they were God, and in the next verse they want to kill them.
If you are looking to others to gauge your success today, it is going to be a roller coaster ride. Some people will praise you and others may want to throw rocks at you. A wise person doesn’t listen too much to the praise that he’s given, nor does he get too discouraged by the people who have it out for him.
Success is determined by how you respond to God, not by how people respond to you when you do. On one hand people loved Paul, and on the other they hated him. But whether they loved or hated Paul, he was a success because he was doing what God had called him to do. You and I can do the same thing today. Both of us should.