It Starts Small

At this point, Paul had been in ministry for over a decade. His ministry seemingly came to a halt. He had been arrested by religious leaders and transferred to Roman authority. On the physical level, it would seem Paul needed to seek justice and resume his “normal: life. But at a spiritual level, God was about to do something special.

Paul stood trial before Governor Felix. The religious leaders laid out their accusations and it came time for Paul to defend himself.

¹¹ You can verify for yourself that it is no more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem. ¹² They didn’t find me arguing with anyone or causing a disturbance among the crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or anywhere in the city. ¹³ Neither can they prove the charges they are now making against me.

Acts 24:11-13

Paul basically said, my accusers can not prove to you…

This is not the fist time Paul appealed to his own integrity. A few years prior he had written to the church in Thessalonica.

 For we never used flattering speech, as you know, or had greedy motives—God is our witness—

1 Thessalonians 2:5

For Paul, his character was the foundation of everything he did.

The Governor, however lacked integrity. Instead of being a just ruler, he tried to bribe Paul.

²⁶ At the same time he was also hoping that Paul would offer him money. So he sent for him quite often and conversed with him.

Acts 24:26

Paul could have done something here. Can we all agree he could be doing more if he was not in prison. He could have paid the bribe and return to preaching the gospel.

Paul refused. He paid a hefty price for refusing. He was kept in Caesarea for two years. That meant for two years he would be tempted to give in every single day. The truth is, a pure heart today does not guarantee and pure heart tomorrow.

God had a bigger assignment in store for Paul but he had to reveal the true heart of Paul before He could entrust him with such a big responsibility. Can we maybe see Paul meditating upon Psalm 24:

³ Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴ The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who has not appealed to what is false,
and who has not sworn deceitfully.

Psalm 24:3-4

Paul kept his heart and hands clean. This test revealed Paul’s character and strength. Now God was ready to make another move. My friends, keep your heart pure! This is how to journey through the land of the “in between.”

Thoughts to Ponder:

• Have you compromised the promise over you? Have you taken a bribe and settled for less than God’s best?
• Is your heart clean and hands clean?
• What do you think would have happen if Paul chose to compromise?
• What are the challenges in keeping your heart pure today?

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