“Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, where the chief priests and the Jewish leaders appeared before him and presented the charges against Paul. They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Festus answered, ‘Paul is being held at Caesarea, and I myself am going there soon. Let some of your leaders come with me, and if the man has done anything wrong, they can press charges against him there.’” (Acts 25:1–5 NIV)
This thing going on with Paul and the Jews and the Roman court system would have hardly been a blip on the radar screen of anyone. We must discard any assumption we have that this story was somehow newsworthy. Looking back from the twenty-first century, the whole thing unfolds before us as a stunning God-sized story of cosmic proportions. At the time, who even knew it was happening, and of those who knew, who really cared?
Looking back, the only reason we even know the names of Felix and Festus and half a dozen other bit players of history is Paul -- that's why we know them. History has its way, doesn't it? That's how history happens. It often takes the perspective of years to see what really mattered and what didn't. At the time it's impossible to know.
Remember that when you think about what you are doing today with your life. In the present, it can seem oh so small and insignificant. I think that's what Jesus was trying to get across [in Matthew 13:31-32] when He talked to us about the mustard seed becoming the largest tree in the garden. Be encouraged, Christian! Don't give up! Give yourself to what may seem small today. It's worth it. It matters. You matter. Press on. Invest your resources in what many may consider a kingdom of God longshot. Every big story was once a very small story. It's why I spend so much time talking about seeds. The whole story is in the single seed.
C. T. Studd put it well in the refrain from his famous poem, "Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last."
-- Excerpted from “Wake-Up Call” with J. D. Walt
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