Stephen knew, when he stood before the Sanhedrin, that this was serious. He knew that he could be condemned to death. Was he afraid? Probably. But there was something that concerned Stephen more than being condemned to death by these people. He never wanted to go against what God was doing as they were. He could not bear to live without God. He wanted to live and walk with God or not at all. At this point Stephen had a choice to make: “Do I go to the Sanhedrin with God and speak the truth, or not?” If he went in with God, he knew that he could be condemned because he knew that they were hostile to what God was saying to them. But his resolve was: “I’m going in there with God.” I encourage you to make this same resolve. When you go into your work, school, sports club or social situations, don’t leave your faith behind. Take God in there with you. Don’t be a part time Christian, don’t just be a Christian when you are safe with other Christians. Be an open representative of Jesus all the time. Carry the light of God with you wherever you go. If you hide your faith, people will assume that it is something to be ashamed about. If you are awkward about it, they will feel awkward about it. But if you are bold and joyful in sharing your faith, God will shine through you. Yes, some people may reject you as a result. That is a cost worth bearing, for the sake of those who will meet God through you.
Pray that God would make you more aware of the opportunities you have to represent him today.
Read Acts 6 and 7
