All You Need is Love Daily Devotional -19

ACTS 7:54-60 | ⁵⁴ When they heard these things, they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. ⁵⁵ But filled with the  Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ “Look,” he said, “I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!” ⁵⁷ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. ⁵⁸ Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. ⁵⁹ While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he died.

Stephen was the first one to “hand over his body,” the first martyr. As he was dying he says two very important things that parallel    Jesus’ first and final words on the cross. He commits his life into God’s hands, and he asks for forgiveness for those who are executing him.

These two prayers reveal his motivation in accepting his own death. He is acting out of love for his fellow Jews and out of trust that God can restore the dead, as He did with Jesus. Stephen did not engineer his own death, instead his truthful witness provoked anger in resistant listeners, who meted out immediate punishment.

 Do you ever pray for enemies?

 What do you say?

Tags: pray, enemies