Psalm 141; Acts 17

Psalm 141
This psalm is a prayer for help in the face of temptation. "O Lord, I am calling to you, Please hurry! Listen when I cry to you for help!" He is offering his prayer as an act of worship. v. 1-2

Then he goes on to mention some of the areas of temptation that he faced. Don't forget that we face them too!

• Mouth--"Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips." v. 3 This would be a good prayer for each of us every day. Think how much trouble words can cause, and on the other side of the coin, how much comfort they can bring.
• Feelings (as in hurt feelings) --"Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don't let me refuse it." v. 5  Our usual reaction to any kind of criticism is to be offended and defensive. David is praying that he won't look at it this way. If godly people correct us, we should consider what they say. Perhaps God Himself is using them as "a kindness" to teach us something or as a "soothing medicine" to heal our hearts.
• Eyes--Keep them on the Lord. "I look to you for help, O Sovereign Lord. You are my refuge... 

Acts 17:1-9
Upon leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica. Here Paul preached in the Jewish synagogue, as was his custom whenever he was allowed. He began in the old scriptures (which we now know as the Old Testament) with which the Jews would be familiar. He reminded them that these scriptures tell us that the Messiah must suffer and die and rise from the dead. Then he went on to the new part of the message, "This Jesus I'm telling you about is the Messiah." v. 3 "Some of the Jews,,,were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, along with many God-fearing Greek (Gentile) men and quite a few prominent women."

This was all good until that green-eyed monster, jealousy, once again rose up to cause trouble. The angry mob even attacked a believer named Jason who had welcomed Paul and Silas into his home, and they accused the whole lot of them of treason. They said their crime was treason against Caesar because they professed "allegiance to another king, named Jesus." v. 7 It's interesting how the scripture mentions a few believers, such as Jason, along the way who ministered in whatever way they could. I believe they represent all those faithful Christians around the world who are faithful in the place God puts them, doing what they can for the Lord though they are often overlooked and forgotten.