Doing God's Will in My Bubble

Scripture: Then they said to him, "We haven’t received any letters about you from Judea. None of the brothers has come and reported or spoken anything evil about you." Acts 28:21

Observation: A few days after arriving in Rome, Paul presents himself to Jewish leaders just as he always did during his travels. He explains why he has arrived in Rome as a prisoner, even through there are not criminal charges against him, and this is their response ... they've never heard of him or the issues surrounding him. No one in Judea or Jerusalem - where Paul was accused and tried multiple times - told anyone in Rome about him.

But here's the deal ... Paul's journey to Rome took a LONG time. Months. They 'wintered' in a port along the way! Jerusalem was the Jewish center of life, Judea was the region where the Jews lived, but Rome was the capital of the empire where all important people needed to go or at least communicate with others to conduct key business and trade. By boat, it is 1,800 miles from Jerusalem to Rome, which means it should take about two weeks to sail. Basic communications from Jerusalem to Rome should be measured in weeks, not months, and Rome would have had methods to ensure that given the need to remain in communications with local governors and military units.

There is only one reason why the Jews in Rome had not heard of Paul, and that is ... the Jews in Jerusalem knew they had lost control of the narrative. They knew Paul was going to Rome, and instead of alerting local leaders about the terrible threat to the Jewish fate who was about to arrive on their doorstep, they just went quiet The Jews back home couldn't control what would happen in Rome, so they exited any and all participation in the process.

In Jerusalem, they tried to be in charge and impose a verdict and punishment. Now they could do nothing, so instead of remaining strong in their convictions and seeking to do the will of God as they claimed was their mission, they stopped acting and went on to other business.

Application: I have been thinking lately - obviously - about local issues and challenges. There is a real question to be asked in the context of the lack of action by the Jews in Jerusalem. What does it say about our faith if we try to do the Lord's will when it is easy, but stop when it becomes difficult or dangerous?

Now, of course the Jews in Jerusalem were wrong about Paul and Jesus. However, they thought they were right and that they were doing God's will. But then when doing that will moves outside of their well-known and controlled ecosystem and likely draw unwanted attention, they stopped.

We need to do what is right, and to properly discern the Lord's will. However, we don't get to 'do' his will only when it's easy, safe, and comfortable.

I probably need to get more uncomfortable with doing the Lord's will, and quit trying to just obey the Lord within the context of my own bubble.

Prayer: Lord, today I want to turn the corner and quit living in my bubble, with my pride saying I can do as I please. Please, Lord, give me more of your strength today. Amen.