Acts 17:16
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.
The term here translated “was stirred” (parōxuneto) means to be provoked, stimulated or irritated. Interestingly, many of us are typically irritated in our minds by worldly matters, and hardly by heavenly matters at all.
Paul’s example in our text is quite enlightening indeed. Here’s a man who is moved at a deeper level. His spirit responds to what moves God’s heart. To him, the plenteous Athenian idols are not evidence of cultural wealth, but a huge cause of concern. His spirit sees it for what it is–idolatry–and is rightly irritated. His heartbeat is in sync with God’s. So should ours, beloved.
What moves your heart today, dear friend? What issues bother the core of your being? What burdens bother you? Until our spirits are in sync with God’s, we are spiritually off-track.
One reason why we hardly sense the stimulation of our inner man (spirit) is our preoccupation with worldly trivia. When we are more concerned about our receding hairlines, bulging waistlines and increasing wrinkles than about the kingdom, eternity and the lost, what do you expect? Lord have mercy🙏.
Pastor Josh