Daily Thought For October 13, 2015

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Obeying The Spirit

Obeying the Spirit. Luke portrays Philip as an evangelist who is guided by the Spirit in extraordinary ways. Even if we are not literally “snatched away” from one place to another, Philip’s example can awaken in us a more expectant faith in the Holy Spirit’s active guidance in our lives and ministry. Philip, like Peter and Paul (see Acts 10:19; 16:6–10), was attuned to the Spirit’s voice and quickly obeyed his promptings. For us too, obeying the Spirit brings a fruitfulness that goes beyond what is possible by our own resources (see John 14:12; 15:8–10).

 The word of God is not chained. God is often forced to “write straight with crooked lines” to accomplish his saving plan. Neither the killing of Stephen, the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem, the Samaritan misinterpretation of Christian miracles as magic, or even the status of being a eunuch—none of these could hinder God’s plan to spread the good news of salvation to all nations and all classes of individuals, from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. When we are faced with bad news and failures, Acts reminds us not to lose heart. Our hope lies not in human success but in God, for whom nothing is impossible (Matt 19:26; Luke 1:37).
Kurz, W. S. (2013). Acts of the Apostles. (P. S. Williamson & M. Healy, Eds.) (p. 149). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

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