"He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance."
That's it! That's the end of the story,.... well, sort of. We know that it really doesn't end there, but that's where Luke stops writing the book of Acts. So, what do we learn from these closing statements? Well, Paul was, among other things, patient ("he lived there two whole years"). He was industrious and without guile ("at his own expense"). He was hospitable and non-judgmental ("welcomed all who came to him"). He was confident ("proclaiming"). He knew his where his inheritance was ("the kingdom of God"). He was gospel knowledgeable ("teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ"). He was aggressive ("with all boldness"). And, he was graced by God's Spirit-paved forerunner ("without hindrance").
So many graces to choose from this morning! Since I cannot possibly remember them all throughout the day, I'll go with this; may the progress of my maturity in Christ grow to a point where my last breath on earth looks like this life of Paul (better yet, Jesus). I have a long way to go. God grant me long life that I might finish the race well.
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