TODAY’S DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE
8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen. 10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. 11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council, 13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law, 14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.” 15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Acts 6:8–15
DEVOTIONAL
by Elder Chris Beltran
The Jewish faith started with an intimate covenant between God and His people. However, years of negligence, disobedience, and blindly following tradition had turned into a dead religious system. They were unwilling to give up their rituals, practices, and customs to listen to God’s voice.
Opposition arose against Stephen from the religious Jews. “But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke” (v. 10). The religious leaders tried to look for flaws in Stephen’s teaching but did not find any. Why? He was full of God’s grace and power, and his God-given wisdom was beyond them. So they resorted to throwing false accusations at him and produced fake witnesses to accuse Stephen of false testimony.
In desperation, they violated the 9th of the ten commandments (read Exodus 20:16). As he was falsely accused, we learned how a person full of spirit and wisdom would respond. His appearance expressed such radiance of peace and calmness in front of these accusers that they could not deny it and compared to the face of an angel. Stephen radiated this kind of calmness in the middle of those chaotic and dangerous times. His peace was not dependent on his circumstances; it was a peace that flows from knowing his Lord and savior intimately with the assurance that he was made right with God through Jesus.
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we pray for the spirit of wisdom and grace to rest upon us as we navigate a world that is often opposed to Your truth. Help us to respond with peace and calmness in the face of opposition, knowing that our true peace comes from our intimate relationship with You. Fill us with Your wisdom, that our words may reflect Your truth and our lives may radiate Your grace, in Jesus’ name, amen.
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