How Noble Minded Are You?

Acts 17
    Often when we are confronted with a doctrinal difference we have a visceral reaction. We often react out of emotion rather than looking inwardly and more importantly searching the scriptures. In Acts 17, Paul had been completely run out of Thessalonica, which he later wrote two letters to, and went onto Berea. Paul and his fellow workers had been mistreated in Philippi (1 Thess. 2:1-2) before they got to Thessalonica, and not only did the Jewish Thessalonians run them out of town, but they chased them out of the next town (Acts 17:5-9; 13-14). Paul juxtaposes the two groups of people, the Bereans and the Thessalonians. He says that the Bereans were more “noble minded” because “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily” (Acts 17:10). Often when we are presented with a doctrine that is different, or told that our doctrine is wrong, we have the same reactions as the Thessalonians and we close our ears and our hearts to the truth. We need to be noble minded in all things by searching the scriptures daily and receiving God’s word with eagerness, even if it poses that we do something different than the way we’ve always done it.  Not only do we need to be like the noble minded Bereans, but we need to be like Paul in the fact that he constantly went to people and studied God’s word with them (Acts 17:1-3; 10; 19-31) whether they were from the same religious background or not. If we search the scriptures daily, it should be easy to accomplish both goals. I love you all!
In His service,
Steven Hugley