Stephen was an amazing man of God. When confronted about his faith, he was able to clearly lay out the story of salvation. He shows the people that he does indeed know his history, and has never spoken against Moses or the temple. Instead, he uses Moses and the temple to show the Israelite people how wrong they really are. He shows that all of history has pointed toward the coming Messiah, yet the people still don’t want to believe.
For his great faith, Stephen was stoned to death. I can’t imagine what being stoned was like. I’m sure it was a slow and excruciating way to die. But Acts 7 tells us that, even in those excruciating moments, God was looking out for Stephen. Stephen “falls asleep,” which was presumably God’s way of gently taking him out of this world and into the next.
I don’t know if I’ll ever face a trial as big as Stephen’s. If I’ll ever have to chose truth over life. If that moment ever does come, I hope that I’ll respond in a similar way. I pray that I’ll be able to stand by what I believe in, even if death is the result. Because God really is more important to me then anything in this world.
What do you think about Stephen’s story? What would you do if you were faced with a similar circumstance?
Lord, please help me to never be afraid to speak the truth about you and all that you have done for me.
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