April 24
Agrippa
Then Agrippa said to Paul, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” Acts 26:28 (NKJV)
While an official named Festus was holding Paul as a prisoner for preaching the Gospel, another ruler by the name of Agrippa came to pay the Apostle’s captor a visit. After a few days, Festus told Agrippa about his unusual prisoner. Agrippa decided he wanted to hear Paul for himself, so he was given a private audience with the Apostle.
As one would expect, Paul uses the opportunity to share the Gospel. He goes into detail about how the Lord had transformed his life and points to the prophecies of the Old Testament that foretold of Christ’s coming. Then, he puts the ball in Agrippa’s court by asking him if he believed in these prophecies or not.
Agrippa never expected to hear any of this. He figured Paul was the one on trial, but now he found himself being put on the spiritual hot seat. And in response to the question, he admits that the Apostle had “almost” persuaded him to become a Christian. He was right there at the threshold of eternal life, but at the end of the day, Agrippa went away without believing.
What do we learn from Agrippa’s example? We learn that “almost” isn’t enough when it comes to Christianity. It isn’t enough to almost believe in Jesus or follow Him. In eternity, almost won’t count for anything.
If an “almost attitude” defines us, if we’ve only admired Jesus from a distance without taking that final step of completely surrendering our hearts and lives to Him…we need to surrender today without any hesitation or reservation. Agrippa was on the verge of making the best decision he could have ever made, but he didn’t. May that never be the case with us!
Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. (2 Corinthians 6:2 NKJV)
Think About It…
What does this passage reveal to me about God?
What does this passage reveal to me about myself?
Based on this, what changes do I need to make?
What is my prayer for today?
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