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Scripture readings are from the living Bible
June 7, 2009
Scripture verse of the day acts 9:15 — 16
But the Lord said “go and do is what I say. For Paul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the nations and before kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for me.”
Scripture reading of the day acts 20: seven — 12, 17 — 38
On Sunday, we gather to break bread, with Paul preaching. And since he was leaving the next day, he talked until midnight. The upstairs room where we met was lit with many flickering lamps; and as Paul spoke on Annan, a young man named Eutychus , sitting on the window sill, was overcome by sleep and felt three stories to his death below. Paul went down and gather him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s all right!” And he was! What a wave of awesome joy swept through the crowd! They all went back upstairs and hate the Lord’s supper together; then Paul talked on at length — so it was dawn when he finally left them.
Acts 20: 17 — 38
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.
When they arrived he told them, “you men know that from the day I set foot in Turkey until now 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. Yet I never shrank from telling you the truth, either publicly or in your homes. 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,
“And now I am going to Jerusalem, drawn there irresistibly by the Holy Spirit, not knowing what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit has told me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.
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.
“And now I know that none of you among whom I went about teaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Let me say plainly that no man’s blood can be laid at my door, I did not shrink from declaring all God’s message to you.
“And now beware! Be sure that you feed and shepherd God’s block — is church, purchased with his blood — for the Holy Spirit is holding you responsible as overseers. I know full well that after I leave you, false teachers, like vicious wolves, will appear among you, not sparing the block. Some of you yourselves will distort the truth in order to draw the following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you — my constant watch over you night and day and my many tears for you.
“And now I entrust you to.his care to his wonderful words which are able to build your fate and give you all the inheritance of those who are set apart for himself.
“I have never been hungry for money or fine clothing — you know that these hands of mine worked to pay my own way and even to supply the needs of those who were with me. And I was a constant example to you and helping the poor; for I remembered the words of the Lord Jesus, “it is more blessed to give than to receive.”
When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them, and they wept aloud as they embraced them in farewell, souring most of all because he said that he would never see them again. Then they accompanied him down to the ship.
Sam’s response
When opportunity comes in the name of the Holy Spirit you must act, and you must act immediately.
I think as a people we are very analytical and tend to want to think everything out. We are taught that to make decisions we must weigh out pros and cons and not act hastily. But it is different with the Holy Spirit. When you are walking in the resurrection life such as Paul was, opportunity will come your way to glorify God. I think the issue for many of us is that we are not in tune with the Holy Spirit as we go through our day. So there is many missed opportunities because of our attention to self.
I have recognized my own walk that when I am filled with the Spirit I am ready and able to jump into any situation and pray over that situation with faith and power. It is a wonderful feeling to be walking in the spirit. There is a piece and confidence unlike any other when we are in tune with God.
As we read the above Scripture we see Paul preaching all evening and all night. During this time a young man fell from a window sill three stories to his death. Paul, immediately stop and when down to where the man had fallen. He acted immediately upon this opportunity and spoke life back into this man. One version of the Bible says he literally fell down and landed on top of the man and it is described that he crushed life back into this man.
Paul seize the opportunity and acted immediately. This is a display of walking in the Holy Spirit in acting upon an opportunity that presents itself. There was no thinking about this more wondering are pondering about a decision that Paul had to make. He simply was led by the Holy Spirit and acted upon it.
Obviously Paul was a man of great faith in God had placed the calling on his life to bring the good news is the Gentiles. What’s the difference between Paul’s faith in our faith? I believe it is the recognition of the importance that Paul emphasized on his daily walk with the Lord. If we would take the time, and asked God to walk with us every moment of our day, and spend the time with God to pray, to worship, to praise, and to read his words daily, I believe we too can have the faith and power that Paul displayed while he was here on Earth.
So take the time each and every day to walk in the word, and seize the opportunities that God puts before you, and act on them immediately.
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