FAITH FOR FRIDAY
Don’t Trust Public Opinion
SCRIPTURE: ACTS 28:5-7
The Apostle Paul along with a ship full of other prisoners and crew have just survived a horrendous storm and shipwreck. Surprisingly, they are welcomed by the inhabitants of Malta, the island where they land. It’s raining and their hosts build a fire. Paul reaches into a wood pile and while he placed the log on the fire, a snake jumps out of the fire and bites his hand. Paul shakes it off and continues tending the fire.
Onlookers begin to form opinions about him. “He should swell up and die any minute now. That means he’s guilty of whatever they accused him of. Hmmm, no swelling, no convulsions, no death. Then he must be a god.” That’s public opinion for you.
Pay no attention to the reaction of others, especially when challenges hit your life. People are often wrong, ill informed or biased in some way. You can’t live for clicks, likes, hugs, and the like. Let your affirmation come from within. When your ways please God, you may not be a Facebook sensation, but you’ll have much more: you’ll have His peace as your umpire. You’re safe.