https://youtu.be/WBdZVNCJpeg

“Good.”    (Acts 16:25-34)      *All verses in NKJV*

- Sometimes I ask myself, “What would I do if it was me,

in someone else’s challenging situation?” (School shooting, car accident,

cancer, war… temptation, persecution)

          - Sometimes

it reveals a good lesson that prepares me for things that could come my way.

          - Sometimes

it’s an exercise in humility, realizing I likely would have done far worse

things.

- Sometimes you really don’t

know what you would do until you find yourself in that situation.

- As we continue through the Book of Acts, here is the

situation Paul and Silas found themselves in:

- read Acts 16:22-24

- It’s easy to say what we would do in this situation, I mean, we all know the good Christian answer.

- BUT, when YOU were confronted with unjust and terrible

circumstances in the past, what did you ACTAULLY do? Virtue untested is no

virtue at all.

- Our verses for today are (read) Acts 16:25-34

3 things really stood out to me when I read this story:

1. I noticed the attitude in which Paul and

Silas dealt with difficulty.

- Acts 16:25, But at midnight Paul and Silas

were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to

them.

- Example: “Good.” Video, Another fire officer

showed me this video featuring Jocko Willink, co-author of leadership books

Extreme Ownership, and The Dichotomy of Leadership. He was Commander of SEAL

team “Task Unit Bruiser”, during the battle of Ramadi. He said this:

- “This is something one of

my direct subordinates pointed out. He would pull me aside with some major

problem, and I would look at him and say, “Good.” And finally,

one day, he was telling me about something that was going off the rails, and as

soon as he finished explaining it to me, he said, “I already know what

you’re going to say.”

“What am I going to say?”

“You’re going to say, Good.

That’s what you always say with something is going wrong.”

“So, I explained to him that

when things are going bad, there’s going to be some good that will come from it:

Didn’t get the job you wanted? Good. More time to gain experience and

build your resume. Got tapped out, got beat? Good. You learned. Got

injured? Good. Now you can get some rest and regroup. Unexpected

problems? Good. You get the opportunity to come up with new solutions.

“I don’t mean to say

something trite. I’m not saying a positive attitude will solve your problems,

but neither will focusing on the problem. Accept reality, but focus on

the solution, and turn it into something good. This attitude will spread

throughout the team. Finally, if you can say the word ‘Good’, then you

are still alive.”

- This reminded me exactly of the attitude that Paul and

Silas had! Attitude check!!

- Beaten up and thrown in

jail for teaching about Jesus? Good. You have the opportunity to grow in

your character.

- Romans 5:3-5, …but

we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and

perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope

does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts