Devotions

A remarkable contrast exists in the closing verses of the book of Acts. In the ancient city of Rome were the magnificent palaces of the Caesars, occupied at different times by the illustrious galaxy of Roman emperors. In the same city of Rome was a humble hired dwelling place occupied by an aging Christian prisoner named Paul.

The impact the Caesars had upon world history cannot be disputed, but they have now passed away into the dust of oblivion. The language they spoke is now a dead language. On the other hand, the message emanating from that humble hired house still rings throughout the world when the gospel of Christ is proclaimed. And almost two thousand years later, men and women of every class, colour, and creed are being transformed by its life- giving Word.

Much of society in our generation is shaped by the worldly philosophies of Charles Darwin, Sigmund Freud, and Karl Marx. Like the Caesars, they have passed on, and only their writings remain, updated and amended by successive generations of theorizers. But the unchanging Word of God remains as living and vital as ever, meeting the needs of hungry souls as efficiently in the twentieth century as it did in the first.

What separates the gospel Paul preached from human philosophy is its divine origin. As a stream can rise no higher than its source, so all human-based teaching is doomed to eventual failure. The Word that Paul preached came down from God, who made man and knows best his needs. Paul in Rome preached about a living Person, the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can save and satisfy the hungry soul.