“Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’” (Acts 20:9, 10 NIV84)

Poor Eutychus was forever to be remembered as the guy who not only fell asleep during Paul’s all-night sermon but also fell out the window to his death and had to be miraculously revived. Thank God that when we find ourselves nodding off in the middle of a worship service, the worst we might experience is a little embarrassment as our head bobs or we get elbowed by our spouse. The point of this devotion is to remind ourselves that, even as believers in Jesus Christ, we are still flawed and broken. God loves us in, through, and regardless of our weaknesses. We are not alone. Christians may look perfect on the outside, but know for sure that under that plastic veneer is a human being with some of the same issues as everyone else.

The story of Eutychus is a story of God’s grace. It seems all the stories of the Scriptures are about God’s grace. Even the greatest men and women of the Bible were broken and sinful human beings whose existence was fully reliant upon God’s grace. It was God’s grace that brought Eutychus to faith. It was God’s grace that revived him after his fall. You know what? You and I may not be falling from windows, but we do find ourselves falling from where we ought to be. Our hearts and minds go astray and before we know it, we have fallen away from God. As with Eutychus, it is God’s grace that revives us when we fall.

Be encouraged today that you are not alone! We all have a little Eutychus in us, and God loves us still the same!

Peace!

Pastor Tom

www.firmlyrooted.church