July 24, 2018
Acts 20:17-24 Living Bible (TLB)
Paul is getting ready to go to Jerusalem; the Spirit of God has placed the journey upon his heart and given him some information about what to expect. Paul does not know specific reasons for the Lord sending him to Jerusalem, he does know the trip will involve jail time and suffering. I wonder how many of us reading the passage today can honestly say we would have followed through to make the journey with the information the Spirit gave Paul. Would you have gone?
Like Paul, our place as followers and kingdom co-builders with the Master Builder is to go and do exactly what we are told. It is a privilege to be led in such a fashion for kingdom purposes. It requires faith to be led into work with Christ, because he gives us the first step and a bit of a vision, but does not play out the whole event for us. That’s where faith comes in. Should we choose to follow and participate in the building assignment, what we are given must be enough and the rest is about trust.
Acts 20:17-24
17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus asking them to come down to the boat to meet him.
18 When they arrived he told them, “You men know that from the day I set foot in Turkey until now 19 I have done the Lord’s work humbly—yes, and with tears—and have faced grave danger from the plots of the Jews against my life. 20 Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 21 I have had one message for Jews and Gentiles alike—the necessity of turning from sin to God through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
22 “And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, 23 except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24 But life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about God’s mighty kindness and love.
Prayer: Lord, every child of yours will be continuously called to step out in order to increase the kingdom in some form or fashion. Whatever assignment you have for me each day, let me run to it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.