Acts 17:11
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
Take a look at Acts chapter 17. At the beginning of this chapter, we find that Paul is reasoning with a group of people. He spent extended periods of time talking and explaining the Scriptures. His end goal? To prove the Messiah’s suffering and death, proving that Jesus Christ was the Messiah and that he came and is our Savior. Well, soon we find that some of the people Paul was ministering to became frustrated and jealous with his teachings (there were so many reasons for this… and if you want to know more I encourage you to read the whole chapter). They started to do something that we are all too familiar with right now. They began to rile up the crowds around Paul, and they began to riot.
So the story goes on, Paul and his friend Silas get out of that town and away from the riots and moved on to another place to share the same news. They came across another group of people intrigued by their story. And in Acts 17:11 we read this:
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
The people Paul encountered in Berea were willing to open their Old Testaments, look up the places Paul pointed them to, and seriously consider their need for Jesus as their Savior.
Have you found yourself intrigued by the story of Jesus? Are you glued to your bible, longing for more truth? There is something so special that comes with diving into the word and learning more about Jesus. But somedays we start to feel a whole lot like the Thessalonian’s. I mean, we might not start riots, but we have our other reasons to put off listening and learning about the savior of the universe.
Take time today to ask yourself, “Where do I stand with Jesus?” Do you want more? Have unanswered questions? Struggle with doubt and unbelief? Feel frustrated with the whole story fo Jesus? Guess what, Jesus can handle it. He can handle all your thoughts and emotions. More toward him, open the bible, chose to be like the people in Berea and watch as Jesus comforts, teaches, and guides you into a relationship with him.