Today’s Reading: Acts 8:26-40

As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out… – Acts 8:26-27a

God said go and Philip went. He did not know why God needed him on this road but he rested in the knowledge that God had an assignment for him today. All he had to do was set out on the road and wait for God to move, even if it took him out of his routine.

SOMETIMES GOD MOVES US OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONE.

His new ministry in Samaria was going great. God had given him favor with the people and many were accepting the message that Jesus was the Messiah. But Philip followed the Lord’s leading south; he listened and obeyed without hesitation.

So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah. – Acts 8:27-28

This Ethiopian eunuch was the next person to benefit from Philip’s new role outside of Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit led Philip to walk alongside the eunuch’s carriage. As he obeyed the Spirit’s prompting, Philip overheard the eunuch’s struggle to understand the Scripture, and he offered his help. By coming alongside the eunuch with a willingness to answer his questions, Philip had the opportunity to tell him the Good News about Jesus. The eunuch believed and was baptized (8:26-38).

When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea. – Acts 8:39-40

Sometimes God shakes things up and moves us out of our comfort zone. We then have a choice – to feel sorry for ourselves or to let the Holy Spirit lead us into new situations and new relationships. It may be our presence in someone else’s life that God uses to bring them to a saving knowledge of Him. It may be our willingness to walk beside someone very different than ourselves that brings about new life.

WE ARE ALL ON A JOURNEY OF GRACE.

We believe that God is in pursuit of each heart. He has been actively involved in my life since before I was born, and He has been actively involved in yours. We may not be at the same place on our journey of grace with God but it is important for me to recognize God’s heart for others. Then, when He asks me to walk alongside their “carriage” for a season, I will see it as a privilege and jump into the opportunity obediently. I may even find that they are already searching for answers to their questions.

I do not know if anyone else needed to hear this today, but I know it is EXACTLY what I needed to hear. Lord, place me where YOU want me to be today. Give me new opportunities and new relationships for your purposes. Make me an evangelist like Philip, willing to go WHEREVER, WHENEVER and to WHOMEVER.