Who's will?

Sort of going on a theme here, since I haven't written anything in so long. So two posts in one day, woo hoo (actually in 1 hour, impressive right?)!  Again this post is based off verses in Acts.

Acts 21: 10-14

10 After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

12 When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

 

I also thought this verse was quite eye opening, because  if you were told that you were going to be tied up by the gentiles for going somewhere and spreading the Good news... you might not want to go, I probably wouldn't, I hear jail isn't a very nice place. I think it's interesting that Paul was willing to do that, to go and to die. But it was the other believer's who were scared for him and didn't want him to go, it didn't mention that they'd be harmed or bound and thrown in jail, but they still didn't want Paul to go. They did eventually say "the Lord's will be done" and I thought that was terribly accurate to how a lot of Christians are today too, often it does take a little while before we submit to God's will, we worry about what might happen or what could go wrong, and yes it's a scary thought but doing things God's way usually makes things work out in the end! :)

Will power and sinful practises

 

Acts 19: 18-19

"Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas."

 

I was reading through my notes I'd made from reading Acts over the summer and remembered writing this one down, mostly out of amazement. To me it just seemed so amazing because these new believers obviously felt convicted by what they were doing and knowing it was sinful and against God, burned it all. Their scrolls and books on sorcery and just stopped doing it. They just did it. I mean I know personally that it's hard to give up the sinful practises, especially when they may not seem like they are. For example there are a couple tv shows that I watch and well... they aren't really something I should be watching, I have given up watching several shows that I know I shouldn't, so I haven't been a complete failure but it is difficult. And I don't think I could do the equivalent of what these new believers did, getting rid of my tv… well it's actually my parent's tv. But I couldn't imagine just burning it or maybe smashing it, like these people in Acts got rid of their things, again, it's quite incredible. And maybe it did take these people a while to do that, but from the text it sounds like they quit it almost right away.

So has this been convicting? (in my case yes)  I just thought it was a really eye opening verse, has anyone else ever thought the same thing while reading it?