Wednesday, April 9
"Give My Horse the Sacrament"
But Paul said to them, "They have beaten us openly, uncondemned Romans . . . and now do they want to put us out secretly? No indeed! Let them come themselves and get us out."
Acts 16:37
George Liele was a slave in Georgia who felt called to the ministry. For several years he preached in the slave quarters of plantations near Savannah before settling in Jamaica where he formed a church on his own land. Liele faced prejudice and persecution all his life, but he knew how to stand up for himself. Once while he was leading a communion service, a white man rode his horse directly into the church. Hoofing up to the altar, the man said, "Come, old Liele, give my horse the Sacrament!"
"No, sir," said Liele without blinking, "you are not fit yourself to receive it."
The two men stared at each other for several tense moments, then the rider abruptly turned his horse and left. It was one Communion service no one ever forgot.
As Christians, we're to be humble but not weak. Sometimes we must speak up for our beliefs and for our civil rights, as Paul did in Acts 16 when he insisted on being treated with dignity by the Philippian magistrates. Standing up for our faith emboldens other Christians and strengthens the whole church.
Without courage all virtues lose their meaning.
Winston Churchill
Read-Thru-the-Bible
1 Kings 8:22 - 10:13
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