Acts 8:26-28

Summary retelling of Acts 8: 26-28:

Philip hears direction from God and follows.  It didn’t matter to Philip that he was heading into a wilderness where life was tough.  So Philip went, and while he was going he found an Ethiopian eunuch who had been in Jerusalem to worship God.  He was on his way home in his chariot, reading from the prophet Isaiah.

Thoughts for Today:

First Thought:

I think so often we gloss over the fact that the Lord says “go” and people in the Bible follow.  My experience today is that if people hear the voice of God telling them to do something they might agonize over having to leave their home, or live far away from their family, or whatever.  The first lesson that we learn from Philip’s example today is that of obedience.  It is a lesson we need to learn over and over again.  God says go, Philip goes.  Nothing more needs to be said.

So … how obedient are you?  God says, “Be my disciple.”  Are you?

Second Thought:

The next lesson we can learn is about grace.  The Ethiopian was a eunuch.  Deuteronomy 23:1 tells us a very clear message about a eunuch’s place in the Jerusalem Temple.  It isn’t exactly welcoming.  Sure, they could worship God; they just weren’t “qualified” to go into the temple as far as other men who weren’t “eunuchs.”  Here we see Philip able to give the eunuch a huge message of grace.  Here Philip has the opportunity to begin to tell this eunuch that even though he is unable to go into the Temple, God can still dwell within him.  Talk about opening up a huge door in someone’s spirituality!

Have you ever thought about grace like this?  God doesn’t mandate for us be qualified, God comes to us where we are and invited us to dwell with Him whether we are qualified or not!

Third Thought:

The third lesson we can learn is the effectiveness of patience and listening to God.  Philip heard God and went.  God had prepared the way before him.  God had made the eunuch want to read.  God had put the desire in the eunuch’s heart to read from scripture just when Philip was coming along.  God’s in control, and when we are patient and simply follow His leading, some pretty cool stuff happens.

Have you ever had that experience of truly waiting on God and following His lead and then getting to experience some really neat things?  How did that feel?

Passage for Tomorrow: Acts 8:29-31