20 JUL 23 Thursday: A Closer Walk Devotional
“So Barnabas and Saul were sent out by the Holy Spirit. They went down to the seaport of Seleucia and then sailed for the island of Cyprus. There, in the town of Salamis, they went to the Jewish synagogues and preached the word of God.” Acts 13:4-5
When you enter into a relationship with God Almighty and surrender your life to “his” will, things can get interesting and exciting. You never know what adventure the good Lord will take you on. Saul, also known as Paul, came to saving faith during an encounter with Jesus that left him literally blind for a few days. Another believer, Ananias, also was put on an adventure to minister to a known terrorist!
Both men were obedient to the Lord’s orders even though initially they were scared of the unknown. Paul had to learn to just “do” what the Lord commanded and he got to see the hand of God work through his life. This was no fuzzy unicorn life of tooting rainbows and butterflies. Walking with God takes you to places you may not want to go, you may suffer, and have to deal with all kinds of evil people.
Barnabas and Paul were sent from a great church to a place where the gospel had not been heard. God put them in difficult situations to be salt and light. Sometimes God takes you to a place and you see no fruit. That doesn’t mean that he is not working and doing things in the midst of your turmoil. Your presence in that very situation brings the maker of heaven and earth to bear on the people.
God always gives some or a few that are prepared to receive him for the first time and others that need investing. We can trust that God will clear away the obstacles for people to hear the good news about Jesus. Paul had to clear away a demonic sorcerer in this passage that tried to keep a man from hearing the gospel. God removed that obstacle and he will do the same for us.
Are you on an adventure with the Lord?
Reading Plan: Psalm 37:1-18; 1 Sam. 20:24-42; Acts 13:1-12; Mark 2:23-3:6
No comments:
Post a Comment