PREVAILING GRACE

Now Stephen, a man full of God’s
grace and power, did great wonders
and miraculous signs among the
people. Opposition arose, however,
from members of the Synagogue of the
Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of
Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the
provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These
men began to argue with Stephen, but
they could not stand up against his
wisdom or the Spirit by whom he
spoke (Acts 6:8 – 10 NIV).

Sounds almost like a back cover novel
summary, doesn’t it? Our hero is a man
noted to be wise and full of God’s
goodness. In the next sentence conflict
arises from men supposedly having
great knowledge. Men of influence.

How often to we find our best
intentions meet with severe and
sometimes seeming destructive
opposition? We see this same scenario
played out in the news for politicians
love to debase the good an opponent
tries to bring forward. We see
opposition in the little things. Like
when we take a walk. Perhaps we
happen upon a rutted pathway that
causes a lengthy detour. We see
opposition in the workplace with
constant criticism, sometimes
warranted, sometimes not. And the
barrage of negativity impacts our
productivity. We see opposition in our
relationships. The lack of appreciation
that brings us despair and permeates
into our daily interactions with those
we love.

Most of all, we see opposition in our
spiritual walk. The closer we get to
God, the more His grace is evidenced in
our lives, the more Satan attacks. But
we must not forget the closing phrase
in the Scripture above. Those that
opposed could not negate the good that
Stephen brought forward. Opposition
may come, may drive at us like
hurricane force winds, but God’s Grace
always prevails.

For reprint permission
lrondeau@westelcom.com
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1 Thessalonians 5:16 - 18
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