May 28 - Chapter 28

Chapter 28 provides an introductory to Paul's ministry in Rome.

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I do not know how else to end my notes on Acts. I felt like time has flown by just like that. Seems like yesterday we were only doing Acts 1 and now we're looking forward to the first chapter of Romans. Thank you Lord for the desire to learn Your word and grow in the knowledge of You! 

Acts revealed how the church emerged and how God's promise was demonstrated through the apostles when the Holy Spirit fell on them and so much more. The apostles only aimed to preach Jesus Christ to the Jews and Gentiles and it never became easy for them. To those with open hearts, they received the Word with delight but to those whose hearts were hardened blatantly rejected Him. A number of apostles were martyred, those recorded in Acts were James and Stephen. The first half of this book narrated about Peter's ministry and the second half was of Paul's. Both had undergone much persecution but both remained courageous and determined to proclaim His Name. They never gave up and so were the others who were called - Barnabas, John Mark, Silas, Timothy and even the writer, Luke himself were the prominent names in Acts. 

It has been an amazing 28-day learning journey about God. Great discoveries. Great revelations. Great realisations. Personally, the book of Acts has taught me to evaluate my life even more as a Christian. Looking at Peter and Paul and their contribution in the formation of the church has encouraged me to put more effort into bringing people to Christ. God calls us to be fishers of men, seize every opportunity to witness to those who need Jesus in their lives. Be persistent and enduring. 

Let us all continue to respond to this calling! 

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 27 - Chapter 27

Chapter 27 describes Paul's fourth missionary journey to Italy. They had trouble sailing to Rome and was shipwrecked on Malta just when they were about to reach the Sicily shore. An angel of the Lord appeared to Paul and he made sure that no one will lose a life among the 276 people on the ship. 

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I got home at almost 10pm tonight (I attended the afternoon service in Barking, left at 7.45pm and got home almost 2hrs 30mins after). I literally fell asleep before I finished this note. I think that Kopiko was meant to make you doze off, I just had my first packet today. Massive thanks to my brother and sis-in-law! :) 

I struggled to finish this chapter because I was not too familiar with the technical terms of sailing. Plus, NKJV gave me some high-falluting words I could not grasp at all. Hehe. You would notice how ancient the time was because they were still using "fathoms"  as a form of measurement. Just a piece of thought there. 

"Paul was an extraordinary guy" said Bro. Alan at Streatham morning service today. He was not one of the 12 apostles because he never saw Jesus but God had a bigger plan for him, he was an apostle "in due time". He was a man full of courage and desire to serve that no flogging or beating or shipwrecks could sway him from his love for God and His Word.  

Like Paul, we must remain strong in the faith no matter what. We all have our own burdens to carry, beatings to endure and shipwrecks to deal with but the Lord has promised that He will never leave us nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5, Joshua 1:5) and that He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). 

Just an encouragement to persevere in times of trials. I personally think that what Paul said in verse 31 was a double-meaning, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved".  So stay in the ship, we must!

*taken from my Facebook notes 

May 26 - Chapter 26

Chapter 26 is a narration of Paul's early life, conversion  and post-conversion + Festus' opinion on his beliefs and King Agrippa's verdict. 

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"Sayang!"  was the first word that came out of my mouth after reading this chapter because of this verse, Agrippa said to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar."(v32). It would be interesting to know, let alone, see Paul's reaction to this. 

How many "sayangs"  have we experienced in this life? Probably tons.

Recently, I just went to the Philippines for a holiday. No important reason but just for a holiday. Well, okay I must admit, I have loved ones back there whom I was dying to see but that's beside the point. I ONLY went for a holiday. Now, I am regretting it so much and I can not stress it any furter. I REGRET IT! 

My Auntie Luz is critically ill. It built up gradually due to her hip replacement a few years back (hip replacement only increased her risk to pulmonary embolism, cardiac infarct and heart failure). She had so many problems and was always under so much stress and pressure after this and we did not see the gravity of it until last Tuesday when she was rushed to the hospital. HEART FAILURE AND KIDNEY FAILURE. My sis-in-law wrote me that message and I had to read it twice, thrice, the fourth time to let the words sink in my head. She is critical. It turned out her daughter has stopped giving her her heart medication a long time ago. I WAS SO ANGRY WHEN I FOUND OUT. SO ANGRY AT WHAT MY COUSIN DID. SO FRUSTRATED. I was having my exams when I found out about it and in between my revisions were mounds and mounds of tears. Tears of frustration, tears of sadness, tears of regret. I just want to see her. But I can't. 

I continuously beg God for His healing hands to intervene. She is not ready to go yet. She needs Jesus in her life. And if only I could be with her, I know God can use me. But obviously I can't do it if I am here, exactly 11025.22 kilometres away from Manila! It's a one big sayang in my life that I will never be able to get over with if she becomes worse and worse. I just want to see her, be there for her and most importantly, let her know how important she is to me because she is my auntie and I love her. :(  

I totally lost the focus for this chapter but I needed to get these feelings out of my system. I'm sorry.


Just be reminded that God is a God of Hope! Paul had so much hope in him, so I continue to hope in Him as well! Please pray with me.  

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 25 - Chapter 25

IT'S OVER! EXAMS ARE OVEEEERRRRR! :) 

I accidentally deleted the note I have written just now so here I am again typing away ;) 

In chapter 25, Paul faced Festus, the governor who replaced Felix but Paul wanted to appeal to Caesar. King Agrippa and Bernice came to visit Caesarea and Festus brought Paul to be examined under the law. 

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I have seen how Festus executed and carefully followed the laws of the land in certain aspects. He was not quick to condemn Paul as he did not fully understand the charges against him and he knew that Paul did not harm any one in any way. He handed Paul over to King Agrippa who was much more adept of the Jewish laws, to consider his case, and also for Festus to know what to report to Caesar when Paul comes to see him. Festus remained neutral, which was expected of a government official. He mediated. He did not take sides. 

How do we actually live our Christian lives? Are we hot? Are we cold? Or are we lukewarm? Do we take God's side? Or do we tend to be lured by the enemy easily? Or have we become apathetic? These questions need not be confusing any Christian at all.. At once we must say, I take God's side all the way, all the time! 

We are not Festus and we are not bound by any worldly law to eliminate bias. 

I am sure most of us have reached a point in our lives where it seems difficult to identify the good from bad. Some conitnue to be churchgoers on Sundays and become regular pubgoers on Mondays. Lukewarm life. Remember, there is no Festus in a Christian life. There is only God or the prince of this world. It's either you are hot or you are cold. What would you prefer to be? 

In Revelation 3:16, Jesus said," So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth" 

That's His words speaking directly to us. 

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 23 & 24 - Chapter 23 & 24

Sorry I missed one day! I have never been this stressed for an exam before. It's Medicinal Chemistry tomorrow!

Chapter 23  highlights: 

Vv 1-10 Paul spoke in front of the Sadducees and Pharisees and caused a major disagreement between them regarding the resurrection. There was so much dissension that the commander took Paul away for fear of him getting hurt.

Vv 11-22 Some 40+ Jews plotted to kill Paul but failed. Paul's nephew overheard them, approached Paul and told the commander about it.   

Vv 23-35 Lysias wrote a letter to the governor, Felix and handed over Paul to him. Paul had a great number of escort out of the city. In Caesarea, he stayed, waited for the hearing and was kept in Herod's Praetorium. 

Chapter 24 highlights: 

Vv 1-9 Ananias, the chief priest and the elders came to the hearing and a spokesperson called Tertullus accused Paul of sedition.

Vv 10-20 Paul's defense.

Vv 21-27 Felix procrastinated on Paul's case and left him where he were for two years!

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All I can say is, I am very tired. But it's always great to read the bible... it never fails to give that inner peace and calm that we need.

Today I am going to rant a bit about the governor. Felix was just a wasteman, excuse my slang but I think that's the perfect description for him. He literally wasted Paul's valuable time. Paul could have been to places teaching and preaching the gospel but no, he remained in Caesarea for TWO YEARS! TWO YEARS! Because of that governor who only wanted to please the Jews. 

Have you ever intentionally done something bad to please people or to make a good impression about yourself (or so you think)? I am guilty. For so many times. I even lost count. As a Christian I reaped the consequences of my wrong actions/decisions in so many painful ways. But, I know that God has forgiven me for my mishaps and I remain thankful to Him because I have learnt my lesson/s and have refrained from doing the same things again.

We have to be constantly reminded that we are called to be NOT of this world. It was probably not appropriate for me to compare ourselves to Felix because, come on, what did he know? However, sometimes we have to look at a non-believer's perspective to realise that, yes, we do have to live holy lives. 

Now I leave you with this, Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Alas! Paul wrote the book of Romans. I have such high regard for him. I believe we can be like Paul too, or even better, BE LIKE CHRIST!

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 22 - Chapter 22

It's the eve of my Pharmacy Practice exam today!

In chapter 22, Paul was allowed to speak among the Jews in the temple. He told them about the road to Damascus, how he was blinded by the light of God and made well again through Ananias. Still the Jews refused to believe. This led to the commander's decision to have him scourged but finding out about his Roman citizenship stopped him. The following day, he stood before the Sanhedrin. 

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My mind wandered whilst I was reading the last 4 or 5 verses of chapter 22. I kept thinking if I have missed an important information with regard to Paul's citizenship. The reaction of the centurion (v26) was the same reaction as the Philippian officers (16:38) when they found out that Paul was a Roman. They were alarmed. 

What's so important about being a Roman citizen anyway? According to the footnotes on Mike's bible, being a Roman citizen meant exclusion from all violent forms of punishment which include: crucifixion, scourging and beating with rods. See how God worked here? Just amazing. Paul was spared from physical persecution, saved by his citizenship, saved by God's gracious hand. 

Which brings me to think (now I am sidetracking), I am due to apply for my British citizenship.. I still can not decide if I should pursue it. Unfortunately, I am not interested to have a British passport at all. I know someone who is actually willing to pay thousands and thousands of pounds to get his hand on the British passport but not me. 

Anyway, may be God has a plan, may be I am going to need this citizenship really badly one day (may be like Paul, a matter of life and death).. I dont know. The application is so expensive though, that's one of my reasons why but most importantly, I dont really want to stay here for good. Help me pray for it then we'll see where God leads! 

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 21 - Chapter 21

Chapter 21 - marked the end of Paul's third missionary journey.

Paul and his companions travelled from Cos to Rhodes to Patara to Syria and landed in Tyre. From Ptolemais to Caesarea, they stayed in Philip's place and met Agabus, who prophecied about Paul being held captive in Jerusalem. Paul's friends tried to stop him but he did not succumb to their plea. The prophecy did come to happen and he was arrested in the temple, as usual, the angry Jews caused it. He was beaten up but was "rescued" by the commander of the garrison. Paul took the opportunity by asking the commander to allow him to speak to the people. 

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I have always believed that God uses different people for His glory to be revealed to all - even non-believers - yes you got it right, He uses non-Christians, even those who blatantly deny Him, to allow His message to be relayed to us.

In the case of chapter 21, God used the commander of the garrison to help Paul speak and testify among the hostile Jews. I was reading verses 30 onwards and I could feel the violence and riot in the temple but God never left Paul's side during that time and same goes to us.. God never leaves our side! The commander may not have known it but he did Paul a huge favour ;) 

I know that there have been instances in our lives where our non-believer friends have helped us with our faith. There came a moment in my life where I almost gave up my faith and it took me a Moslem friend to snap me back to my senses, she ministered to me and she did not even know it. It was not just a plain moment, it became a WOW moment for me. 

Now Paul here on the contrary never gave up his faith even a split sec despite trials and tribulations. Unlike me. But see how God delivers His children from the hand of the enemy, may they be weak Christians or strong ones like Paul. 

Thank God for Jesus Christ, we have the confidence to turn back from our mishaps and say we can be like our own Paul! ;) 

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 20 - Chapter 20

I had a good laugh reading Chapter 20, well at least from verses 7-12 :))

Paul and his friends travelled from city to city, careful to avoid the angry Jews. They continued preaching to the people and encouraging the brethren in Macedonia, Greece, Troas, Miletus and Ephesus (where his words were recorded in verses 17 up to 38) and other small cities. 

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Now, verses 7-12.. hehe.

We have a brother at church who works at a hotel as a chef doing early mornings from 6am to 2 in the afternoon. He lives quite far from his work so he has to wake up around 4am to get the night bus to Central London from the South East at around 5. I think he has had this job for more than a year now and since then I saw how he worked really hard and lost so much weight! I call him "Itay" =) He used to attend Streatham Sunday services before but because of the demands of his job, he could only come to Barking. This is why I dont see him that often any more because I only come to Streatham when uni is giving me too much work (which is practically every single week). Namimis nga ako nyan lagi ni Itay (and vice versa of course) =p 

Anyway, I think you know where this story is going. Yes, he falls asleep in church and every time I tease him about it, he would only say, "Anu ka ba anak, wag mo nga akong ginaganyan, NAGPPRAY AKO!!" hehe kakamis si Itay. Every time we get to see him like this, Bro. Alan would just laugh and say, "there is no better place in this world to sleep than to sleep in the presence of the Lord". Safe si Itay! haha. 

Eutychus probably had a very tiring and long day that made him sink into a deep sleep and was overcome by sleep (v9) that he fell from the 3rd floor. That was no laughing matter at all! But Luke, being a doctor knew that he was okay. The commentary said that he DID die but his life was restored in him. See, the Lord does not hold it against us if we fail to say "amen" from a prayer last night because we... well, fell asleep. We can say it in the morning when we wake up I guess. ;)

Amazing how He takes into account the effort/s we make to live as true Christians. God does not ignore the little sacrifices that we make for Him, He blesses us in return - we are all living testimonies to that. <3

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 19 - Chapter 19

Whole day of Medicinal Chemistry is just too much for me so I stopped at 4.30pm. I read this module for about 12hrs 30mins today with lunch, Facebook/Twitter and Jon as breaks ;)  

Chapter19 was Paul's third missionary journey and narrated about his meeting with Apollos. Paul explained about the baptism of repentance and baptism in Jesus Christ at the beginning. Miracles were performed through Paul in the second part of the chapter and following this was the riot created by Demetrius, a silversmith who made shrines for the goddess Diana. Consequently, the people got very confused with regard to who to worship, the goddess or this man called Jesus? However, the uproar was quited down in the end. 

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Acts 19:11-12 says God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 

One event came into my mind whilst I was reading through these verses. Remember Matthew 9:21? A woman who was bleeding for12 years saw Jesus performing miracles and said to herself,“If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed." ? She did and she was healed (amazing faith by the woman by the way, one of my most favourite miracle stories in the gospel). Well, it just made me think that the same kind of healing power was given to Paul by God to demonstrate His power through the miracles. 

Verse 20 was striking too: So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

No matter how bold or faithful or great a speaker Paul was, all the glory had to be given back to God and Paul never complained. In turn, God took care of him, the uproar stopped because Paul knew some influential people (Gaius and Aristarchus v29) and the officials made sure he was safe ;)

If we continue to serve God with boldness, honesty and humility, God will surely keep us safe no matter what happens. 

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 18 - Chapter 18

Chapter 18 marked the second half of Paul's second missionary journey. 

In Corinth - from Athens, Paul stayed with Aquilla and Priscilla

 - from Macedonia, Silas and Timothy joined Paul

 - the disciples met Justus and Crispus

 - Gallio refused to judge Paul 

 - Sosthenes was beaten

In Ephesus - Paul left A & P (later on met Apollos) 

In Caesarea - Paul greeted the church

In Antioch - Paul spent some time there 

In Galatia and Phrygia - Paul strengthened the disciples

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Have you noticed that in this chapter, most of the names mentioned were names of people who were believers of the same faith? I wonder what Paul, Silas and Timothy must have felt upon seeing them. They travelled from city to city and they knew that there were only going to be three types of people, those who couldnt care less, those who persecute and those who encourage. Chapter 18 was all about encouragers. 

When I met Deepthi in uni, I thought she was just any one's typical quiet (but crazy), timid (but funny) and geeky kind of girl. I befriended her because we shared the same likes and dislikes =p I got to know her more in the 2nd semester of our freshman year and I found out that her dad's a priest of an orthodox church in North London. So I was like :O hehe. It was cool actually. We get to talk about stuff like, Sunday school songs, bible readings, youth groups, concerts and so much more.

Recently, her ex-boyfriend got married to a girl he barely even knew. It was an arranged marriage held in India. I found out about this early this year and boy was I so upset for her. Deepthi and her "boyfriend" was already planning to get married after our graduation and then her world fell apart when he went back to India and obeyed his parents' wishes. He got married last Thursday. 

I wasnt physically there for her when she found out about the engagement but I sent her the book that I always read when I feel like the world is turning against me.. "When God is Silent" by Charles Swindoll. She still holds on to that book. I remember crying so much myself when Dr. Nabhani, humiliated me infront of my PP groupmates. That problem was not as bad as her one now but I probably did cry as much as she did. Hehe. She was there for me, comforting me through texts and the whole lecture period the next day.

I guess that is how we are as Christians. We consider each other as brothers and sisters and so we treat each other as one. Just like Paul when he travelled from region to region - we must be good encouragers to our brothers and sisters in the faith! 

May 17 - Chapter 17

Before I start, Lord, I just want to thank You for the 42 months with this amazing guy You've given me and thank You for the exam that I have just finished. You blew me away today God. Lost for words. Completely. I love You!

In chapter 17, Paul and Silas (+Timothy?) ministered to the people in Thessalonica and Berea, however they had to run away from the angry Jews who turned a mob against them. Paul came to Athens first and then S & T followed. They found the people worshipping idols and so Paul spoke among them.  

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I love verses 23 onwards especially verse 28 - "for in Him we live and move and have our being..."  (that's actually my profile bio thingy on twitter hehe)

The last part of this chapter talked about the Athenians and their idols. They ignorantly served and worshiped their graven images BUT.. at the back of their heads, they knew that there was still one Greater ONE, the One Who Rules Above All... we read in verse 23: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. 

I remember a good friend of mine in uni. During the first year, Agi, him and myself would always meet up on a Saturday for a group study at the UEL library in East London. We once brought our laptops with us as we were trying to finish up our aspirin essay for Pharmacology. I saw his desktop background and wondered who that might be. It looked like a Hindu god. So yeah, he's Indian and he's Hindu. I did not have the courage to ask him but I think it was Shiva with the multiple arms and such. 

I instantly thought of him whilst reading verses 16 onwards. He is so much like these people in Aeropagus. They were devout idol worshippers WITH AN OPEN HEART. I remember once he came to me and asked me to pray for him because he was going through some tough times, HE ACTUALLY ASKED ME TO HELP HIM PRAY TO MY GOD. Now isn't that something? 

He knows I am a Christian and up to now, he still keeps wondering what makes me stand out from every one else. I remember him saying, you are a one in a million. Praise God for that. He saw Jesus in me and I am proud of that. I still dont know how to witness to this guy but I remain to be a good friend and of course, I pray unceasingly. 

So, just to reiterate, like for some of the Athenians, nothing is impossible in a person with an open heart. =) 

Can you guess who this is Jon? hehe. I did not mean to babble but I just saw the exact semblance of the situation in him. Happy 42nd monthsary. I love you!

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 16 - Chapter 16

I really think that I have done enough reading for my Medicines & Therapeutics exam tomorrow. My mind cannot take in any more new information from my other lectures.

Anyway.. 

So many events happened in chapter 16, the beginning of this chapter was the start of Paul's second missionary journey with Timothy, Silas and Luke. Here is the rough summary:

V. 1-5: Paul met Timothy when he came to Derbe and Lystra and took him with him in his mission. 

V. 6-10: Paul had a vision that led him to preach in Macedonia. 

V. 11-15: A faithful woman of God called Lydia was baptised together with her family in Philippi.

V. 16-24: Paul drove out an evil spirit from a sorceress which resulted to the imprisonment of Paul and Silas

V. 25-34: A Philippian jailer was saved. Read these verses.. quite interesting ;) 

V. 35-40: The magistrates were compelled to bring Paul and Silas out and freed them. 

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Let us talk about the Philippian jailer. How much faith do you think did it take the jailer to decide to accept Jesus? Do you think it was only a spur of the moment for him because he got too scared? If the earthquake did not happen, do you think he would still choose to believe? Answers to these questions do not matter really. What happened was God's will, and it was His will for the jailer to respond to His calling. 

Jesus in Luke 17:6 says, If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you.

Personally, I think that jailer did not have any faith at all until he saw Paul and Silas' broken chains and the prison doors laid open. And then we witnessed how he got convicted when he saw P & S never left the prison despite everything. The jailer fell down trembling... and said, "Sirs what must I do to be saved?"  (v29-30). This must have been a very momentous occasion for the jailer. 

I have hope for my friends.. my friends back in the Philippines - high school and college, my relatives who constantly refuse to acknowledge Him and all my close acquaintances including my pharmacy colleagues. I specifically pray for my uni friends, I won't say their names here but God knows who they are. It has been three years since I have known and hung out with them and I know.. their faith are so much bigger than a mustard seed. I cannot be a Paul or Silas to my friends because speaking, im afraid, is not my forte. But, I strongly believe that actions do speak louder than words. Paul and Silas did not need to preach to the jailer to get him to believe anyway ;) 

Let us continue to pray for those who need God in their lives!

*taken from my Facebook notes

May 14 - Chapter 14

Chapter 14 narrates the 2nd half of Paul's first missionary journey - arriving in Iconium, moving to Lystra and Derbe and returning again to the said cities and Antioch and then travelling through Pisidia, Pamphylia, Perga, Attalia and then sailing back to Antioch in Syria.

Here are the highlights of Paul and Barnabas' journey: 

Iconium: P & B preached and performed signs and wonders but the unbelieving Jews poisoned the minds of the Gentiles and divided the multitude of the city, part sided with the Jews and part with the apostles (v4) 

Lystra: Paul made a crippled man well and the people upon seeing this worshipped the apostles like gods calling Paul - Hermes and Barnabas - Zeus. With this, P & B tore their clothes crying out that, God - not them - must be worshipped. However, the people were stubborn and sacrifices were still offered.

          : The Jews from Antioch and Iconium came there as well and stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city thinking he was dead. The next day, they escaped to Derbe.

Back in all the cities the converts were strengthened. 

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Persistence. Paul was almost left dead due to the stoning in Lystra and yet he came back to the city after escaping to Derbe to encourage the church there. Hats off to this apostle who persevered unceasingly for the Lord. What about you? Do you think you can do the same for Him? How can you show your perseverance for God in your life today? 

Say for instance, you have a brother and he is an unbeliever. You both grew up in the church but he fell away during his teens. He knows about your faith and he knows how much you want him to know Christ. He heard you so many times praying for him to come back to church. You show him how much you love him in so many different ways, in ways he could not even imagine you would do. Over and over again you try to remind him that all he needs in his life is Christ. And most importantly, you try to tell him how much God loves him and wants him back. 

Still he chooses NOT to believe. 

What would you do? Persistence. 

*taken from Facebook notes

May 13 - Chapter 13

Happy Mother's Day Philippines and all countries celebrating today!

Chapter 13 - Paul and Barnabas travelled from Antioch Seleucia to Paphos Cyprus to Perga Pamphylia to Antioch Pisidia - this was considered the first half of Paul's first missionary journey with Barnabas and John Mark (he left them in the middle of the journey). Paul preached to all the Gentiles about Jesus and they believed. 

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"..shook off the dust from their feet.."  (v51) according to the commentary in my bible only meant that Paul and Barnabas greatly condemned the Jews of Antioch for stirring up trouble for them to convince the influential people in the region to throw them out because of the word of God being spread. P & B shook off the dust from Antioch so they would not bring them to their next destination ie Iconium. 

I remain awe-inspired that out of Paul's past hatred and anger towards God came boldness and love for Him. He remains to be on top of my list among all the bible characters I know. Just phenomenal. 

I am sure we can be like Paul in our own little ways. God does not need us to suffer for Him like our main man in this chapter or take preaching as a profession ( I know some one who does though and I love him to bits - may be more than I love and look up to Paul hmmm) but a simple good deed to the needy, helping a friend get over a broken relationship or just spending quality time with our brothers and sisters at church can be Paul-like too. I am sure he himself did it during his days, what do you think? ;) 

*taken from my notes on Facebook