Centuries ago, an announcement was made regarding the most important baby ever born, But the announcement was not made by the woman who would give birth; it was made to her.

In 1978, a bridge was built over a highway in Germany, but neither end of the bridge was ever connected to any road.  The bridge remains unfinished.  There is a section of the Foreshore Freeway in Cape Town, South Africa, where the road just ends.  Due to budget constraints, it was never finished.  And sometimes there are things in our life that are like that.  We begin with good intentions, but for some reason we never finish.  Don’t let that be the case with what God wants you to do.

People’s opinions of you can be very fickle. They can think highly of you one day and turn against you the next day. That’s human nature. If that’s happened to you, you’re in good company. The apostle Paul experienced that. He went from being considered a “god” to being stoned to death — well, that’s what his enemies thought — in the same city. But he continued faithfully doing what God wanted him to do.

At various places along the road, you might see a sign prohibiting a U-turn. But at other places, U-turns are permitted. You are able to turn from the direction you have been traveling and start going in the other direction. U-turns take place not only in a vehicle, but also in our minds and lives. We’ve been headed in one direction, but we turn and head in the opposite direction.

The Holy Spirit had selected Paul and Barnabas to leave the church where they were ministering and travel hundreds of miles on a missionary trip, proclaim the gospel in places where people had never heard of Jesus before. One of those places was the city of Antioch in the province of Pisidia. After many people were saved there, fierce persecution drove the missionaries out of town. But it didn’t stop their ministry.

God moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea and rides upon the storm.

That’s the first stanza of a poem attributed to William Cowper. Subsequent stanzas declare:

His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan His work in vain;

God is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain.

Different people respond differently to the same information. But the most important response any person could ever make is how they respond to the gospel.

You’ve seen a warning like this along the highway: “Bridge Out Ahead.” Or a warning like this on a truck: “Caution! Hazardous Material.” Or a warning like this: “Danger! Construction Site — Keep Out!” Or a warning like this: “Slow! Children at Play.” Those are important warnings, but Acts chapter 13 contains what is the most serious warning ever.

But the greatest rescue operation ever was when God sent the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross — to save human beings from their sins and give them everlasting life.

The circus ringmaster will say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I direct your attention to the center ring or the high wire or the trapeze artist.” Or when it’s time for the coin toss before a football game, the public address announcer will say, “Ladies and gentlemen, I direct your attention to the 50-yard line.” But of all the ways in which people’s attention can be directed, it is most important to direct their attention to Jesus.