Scripture: Acts 7:59-60
59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” 60 Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep.
Observation: Stephen's last words are so similar to Jesus' as He sacrificed His life.
Application: It's hard enough to imagine Jesus' suffering and pain but He had at least had the knowledge of God's plan. Stephen had faith and it was enough to make him willing to sacrifice everything for the glory of God. Not only does he call out the angry mob of people but as they are killing him, he asks the Lord to forgive them. I often struggle with forgiving and it is certainly not something I would think about in the midst of a terrible situation. Stephen selflessly gave everything following the example of His Saviour. He gave willingly, he gave bravely, and he gave everything. Just like Jesus did. It should be our desire to live, and give, in the same way that he did so that we too can echo his words in our own lives.
Prayer: Dear Lord, You are awesome and wonderful. We are lucky to have accounts of people like Stephen to strengthen our own faith walk. Lord, we often struggle sharing the Good News with others because we are afraid of what others may think. Stephen was not afraid because he knew He was speaking the truth. He was sharing your words with others, even in his last earthly breath. Thank you that we also have the ability to speak your words because we have access to scripture. Impress these words on our hearts and make us confident to share Your message with everyone. Amen.
2 comments:
I've always noticed too, how similar his last words were to Jesus' last words.
What is amazing is that God used this persecution to push the Christians into Judea and Samaria, fulfilling Jesus' command in Acts 1:8.
The story of Stephen is so amazing. The older I get and the more I learn about God and life and human nature, the more I realize how important forgiveness is. My sense of justice still loves to watch movies where the bad guys get what's coming to them, but I know better. In real life, it is always better to forgive. You always hurt yourself more than the other person if you do not. Knowing that doesn't mean it's easy, but it is important.
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