He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family. (Acts 16:34)
“SOMETIMES I CAN get to feeling so down about my family,” Jessica confessed to an old friend. “I have only recently come to know who Jesus is. My parents, brother, and I never went to church while I was growing up,” she continued. “It just wasn’t a priority. We were into sports and had practice or games on Sundays. We liked to sleep in and then go out for a late brunch downtown. I wish I could help them know what they’re missing, but they’re so involved with their own activities, I don’t think they would hear me. I don’t think I could get them to come to church.”
Jessica then shared with her friend something she had read recently in the book of Acts. A jailer asked Paul and Silas what he had to do in order to be saved. Paul and Silas told the jailer to simply believe, and not only he but also his entire household. Jessica was filled with hope as she read Acts 16:34: “He was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole family.”
Jessica rightly began to feel hope in her heart as she recalled the passage. When God sends the grace of salvation to our hearts, He sends it not just for us, but also for others.
Practice an understanding of grace that involves others, not just yourself.
Amy Knepp is a graduate of Indiana Wesleyan University and is a stay-at-home mother of four children.
