Do Thyself No Harm & Come Unto Christ

Do Thyself No Harm & Come Unto Christ
By: Jacob Sok



In the Book of Acts Chapter 16 we find a short exchange between a certain prison guard and the missionaries Paul and Silas. Paul and Silas, were out on another mission for the Lord, preaching the gospel where they could, and find themselves in ancient Macedonia. Having been trying to working this city for several days, they were finally guided to the a women named Lydia who with her household were prepared to receive the message of Christ and His gospel.

With the success of the work also came opposition, when the teaching and healings of Paul and Silas, provoked the chief magistrates of the land, they were sentenced to prison. They were brutally beat by a multitude and left the the watchful eye a jailor; "Who having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks" (see verse 24).

Paul and Silas spent the night as the record reports, praying and singing praises unto God, which was heard by the other prisoners there as well. Verses 26 and 27 record, a miraculous quaking of the earth that shook the foundations of the prison, so much so that the doors were opened and the bands which held them captive were loosed. The keeper of the prison awoke from his sleep only to his bewilderment and horror to find the doors opened with no prisoners.

The punishment for this omission would be carried out unto death by his magistrate superiors. The account in Acts, tells us so much was his fear and guilt that he, "drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled." In that moment of desperation, Paul cries out "with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here" (see verse 28)

Upon realizing whom was speaking the jailor ran to them and fell at the feet of this missionaries, and pleaded "what must I do to be saved?" (see verse 29). To which they responded, "Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved" (see verse 31). That monumental night, those humble missionaries shared the gospel, of repentance and saving grace with this downtrodden prison-keeper, and the scriptures record that the jailor that night, upon hearing this message of hope attended to the injuries of those beaten messengers of God and was baptized (see verse 32-33).

I love this story, and find its powerfully simple turnaround in less than thirteen verses, to be a message of hope. I have jokingly employed the rhetoric on my day to life, stating "I wake up apologizing", in the sense knowing that I bound to make mistakes through out the day. While this humorous retort has become a morning anthem, it truthfully acts a reaction of self-defense, upon awakening to my daily shortcomings.

I throughout my life have found myself in the consuming torture of self-loathing and worry, while never to the extent of the jailor of Macedonia, I have had to come to know a Savior, who with Paul of old cries out to us with a loud voice saying "Do thyself no harm".  When we fall short our first instinct should be to our loving Father in Heaven, not the mirror to deliver a self-condemning sermon, of which is contrary to the very hopeful and healing powers, that are meant to intervene when we do slip-up. President Russell M Nelson, our Prophet has taught "Perfection is still pending".

A modern Apostle, Elder Jeffery R Holland has emphatically pleaded with us to allow the Lord's grace to do its work while we do ours of trying to improve. He shared "My brothers and sister, except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let's strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists have called 'toxic perfectionism'".

Elder Holland continued with this reassuring promise,"I testify of that grand destiny,


made available to us by the Atonement of Lord Jesus Christ, who Himself continued 'from grace to grace' until in His mortality He received a perfect fulness of celestial glory. I testify that in this and every hour He is, with nail-scared hands, extending to us that same grace, holding on to us and encouraging us, refusing to let us go until we are safely home in the embrace of Heavenly Parents." (October Conference, 2017).

If we feel helplessly frustrated from our short comings, we must needs remember while our actions are never condoned, we are never condemned. The message of this special story from Acts teaches us we in those moments, and I might add every moment are to come unto the Lord, remember our covenants and strive better, granted in His love a chance to try another day growing in His grace. If your efforts feel futile or you feel broken, remember the best hands that have ever reached out were broken ones, and it is because they were that we can find the faith and power to enjoy brighter days and second chances.

Amen.

Sources-
-Acts Chapter 16 (v.20-34)
-Be Ye Therefore Perfect, Eventually: Elder Jeffery R. Holland, 2017