October 2
Bible Reading: Acts 19:11-20
Acts 19:18-19, “Also many of those who were now believers came, confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it came to fifty thousand pieces of silver.”
These new believers had been involved in spiritism. Then the Spirit worked to both convict them of sin and open their eyes to the glory of Jesus. That their faith in Jesus was genuine was evidenced in their readiness to confess and abandon their previous practices. No doubt they had treasured their “books” (little papyrus rolls that were inscribed with magical formulas and spells), but readily destroyed them all in view of the “surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:8).
“Fifty thousand pieces of silver” was the equivalent of 50,000 workdays or about $10,000 in today’s economy. They could have sold them, but they now deemed them evil and decided instead to burn them all. They “counted them as rubbish” as compared to the treasure they now possessed in Jesus. Prior to being saved, we all had things in our lives that required forsaking. If you are like me, those old patterns die off slowly and too often seem to resurrect themselves. But don’t be discouraged, for the Spirit is always working to open our eyes to the glory of Jesus, so that we can rightly appraise what truly matters, and forsake that which doesn’t!
C. T. Studd was an All-England cricket star who lived from 1862 to 1931. In his college days, he gave up a professional career as a cricket player to become a missionary. His decision to abandon fortune and fame and join Hudson Taylor in China shocked his family. While serving in China, at 25, he inherited an enormous fortune from his father (equivalent to several million dollars today). He felt compelled by the Lord to give all of his fortune away for the cause of Christ. “If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him,” Studd said. He gave God his fortune. Likewise, we all have things that are better left behind, as we press on in our journey with Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2)!
“What is all the fame and flattery worth when a man comes to face eternity? I know that cricket would not last, and honor would not last, and nothing in this world would last, but it was worthwhile living for the world to come.”—C. T. Studd
I HAVE DECIDED TO FOLLOW JESUS
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
I have decided to follow Jesus;
No turning back, no turning back.
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me I still will follow,
Tho’ none go with me, I still will follow;
No turning back, no turning back.
My cross I’ll carry, till I see Jesus;
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus,
My cross I’ll carry till I see Jesus;
No turning back, No turning back.
The world behind me, the cross before me,
The world behind me, the cross before me;
The world behind me, the cross before me;
No turning back, no turning back.
LookingtoJesus 