“They requested Festus, as a favor to them, to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.”
Acts 25:3 (NIV)
Two years have passed since Paul was first imprisoned, and the hatred of the leaders in Jerusalem has not softened. Festus is new in power, and when the Jewish leaders get access to the governor, Paul is still their first topic of conversation. They are not asking for justice. They are asking for an opportunity to murder a man who is already locked away.
That is what struck me today. Hate does not stay still in the heart. If we hold on to it long enough, hate begins to shape what we say, what we plan, and what we pursue. These leaders had the ear of the governor. They could have asked for many good things. Instead, what came out of them was the same darkness they had been feeding for two years.
Jesus warned the Pharisees about this. They were worried about the outside of the cup, about looking clean and religious, while ignoring what was happening inside their hearts. But Jesus said what comes out of us reveals what is within us. Evil thoughts, murder, lies, and slander do not begin with our mouths. They begin in a heart that has let something grow that God never planted.
So today I have to ask, is there grief, shame, hate, sin, or some lie from the enemy that I have been holding on to for too long? What the Jews desired for Paul was killing them too. What we hold on to that God wants to heal can cause so much harm to us and others. Cast your cares on the Lord today. Talk to your healer, your comforter, your advocate, your Savior. Let God turn your heart of stone into a heart of flesh again, and put His thoughts, His ways, and His desires inside of you.