Acts 21:1-16 (NLT)

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man who saw into the future and was able to visualize how the world should be. In his famous speech I Have a Dream, he shared with his audience his unquenchable vision for America.

“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today. . . I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”

Apostle Paul was also a dream-driven man. His vision was to reach all the nations with the gospel before the coming of Christ. He wanted to see the Gentiles and the Jews joining in God’s kingdom side by side, putting aside their difference in custom, culture and language. He was convinced that God made available the gospel free for all to receive without the requirement of the law. He believed that the Church should be one with Christ as the foundation. No geographical and ethnic divisions. So he encouraged the church in Ephesus to affirm her fellowship with the church in Jerusalem by sending her their offerings when the Jerusalem church was in need.

However, where there is a vision, there is also opposition. As Paul wants to go visit Jerusalem this time around, he is strongly warned by his fellow Christians about danger awaiting him in Jerusalem. Out of genuine concern for his well-being, they discourage him from going. But Paul doesn’t give in. The same Spirit who called him to be the missionary to the Gentiles compels him to go to Jerusalem (20:22). As a captive to Christ with a strong vision that fuels him, he cares less for his life than for fulfilling the vision given to him.

Reflection:
Read biographies of men and women whose lives were marked by their devotion to Christ and His calling (e.g., Martin Luther, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Simon Weil, Ruth Bell Graham). Ask God to show you what little changes you can make in your surroundings and other people’s lives today.

*This devotional first appeared in Encounter Monthly Journal, August 2006