Tuesday, August 29: “The Bonds of Love”

“The Bonds of Love”

Acts 26: 29, 32: “And Paul said, ‘I would wish to God, that whether in a short time or a long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains.’ … And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man might have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’”

Paul had already been imprisoned in Caesarea for more than two years, but his real bondage–a bondage brought about years before by an encounter with the risen Lord–went beyond mere chains. It was a bondage of the heart, soul, and spirit, stemming from Christ’s love for him. and no amount of appeals to Caesar or anyone else could set him free, or even make him desire such a freedom. The love of Christ for him made such a thought completely unacceptable.