The beloved physician Luke wrote how Paul and Silas were beaten and put in prison for delivering a “damsel” from an “evil spirit” that caused her to divine for her “masters” who were now without their profits. “And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do yourself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved, and your house. And they spoke unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway”, and in chapter sixteen and verse thirty-four of the book of Acts Luke shared when the jailer, “brought them into his house, he set meat before them” where we read:
And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced,
believing in God with all his house.
The verse begins, “And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, ...” Luke began with the words, “and when he had brought them” which means “and at the time and moment the jailer carried and led Paul and Silas” “into his house” or “into his, the jailer's, dwelling place, abode and habitation”, “he set meat before them” which means “he, the jailer, placed and set forth food, a banquet and a feast in front of and in the presence of Paul and Silas”, “and rejoiced” or “and was exceedingly glad with joy”. Luke shared how the “jailer” brought “Paul and Silas” into his home, fed them and was exceedingly joyful.
The verse goes on to say, “... believing in God with all his house.” Luke continued with the words, “believing in God” or “trusting in, relying upon, clinging to and having confidence in the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit” “with all his house” which means “alongside each, every, the whole and everyone within the jailer's home, dwelling place, abode and habitation”. Luke shared how the “jailer” from “Phillipi” was “rejoicing” because of his and his family's newfound faith and trust in “God”.
When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how the “jailer” ministered to “Paul and Silas” by bringing them into his home and feeding them. The “jailer” was so overjoyed with his and his family's “faith and trust” in “God”, that he wanted to feed “Paul and Silas”. Anyone who yields their life to Jesus will discover his “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (See 1 Peter 1:8), and afterward they desire to serve others in appreciation for what God has done. God will forgive the sins of every person who surrenders themselves to His Son Jesus, and He will grant everlasting life with “exceeding joy” to those who believe. Anyone who carefully studies this story of the “Philippian jailer” should see the change that occurs in a person's life when they put their faith and trust in Jesus.
Next time Luke shares how, “the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, let those men go”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
See more devotionals on the website "thewordfortodaywithray.com" or look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".
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