I think I’ve misunderstood the will of God as something evasive, lofty and a bit terrifying. Now I realize it is more like a partnership. Jesus offers us His power (see last week’s post) and simply asks us to be attentive and responsive to his nudging. If we don’t ignore it, we will witness life-change through us and around us.
A man named Philip sensed God speak to him, “Head down that desert road”—so Philip responded. He didn’t know why he needed to go down that particular road or what opportunity awaited him. He just took off and saw a man in a carriage. I think what unfolds in this story is a picture for any of us desiring to live a meaningful existence.
1. He ran over to the carriage: In other words, he put himself in proximity with the person on his path. It’s easy to become so self- focused we have no time to recognize or step out toward those around us. I wonder if a meaningful existence evades us every time we duck inside our homes before someone can ask something from us!
2. He heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah: I can be near people, without listening to people. I go to the gym, earbuds in, music on. What if I put myself in places and listened to the conversations and doubts people wrestle with?
3. He asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading? Philip cared enough to ask questions. He didn’t lecture. He sought to understand.
4. He was invited in: The man urged Philip to join him in his carriage. Is there a greater honor than being invited into another’s space? When we offer our time, our ear to listen, our heart to better understand, the world invites us into its space, its mess, its questions.
5. Beginning with the passage the man was reading from, Philip shared the good news of the Gospel: We can always find common ground with those around us. As humans, we have more in common than we have differences. Why not start there? God will help us use any starting point to reveal the Hope of the Gospel. Jesus offers life and relationship through us. A life, not based on jumping through all the right hoops, but by offering our fractured lives in exchange for His healing love that cleanse us from all our junk and to make our broken lives whole.
6. Life change happened: Philip journeyed down a road, without knowing what awaited him on that road. He knew Jesus enough to trust him to leverage Philip’s life to bring hope to the world. That man’s life was changed because of Philip’s obedience.
Jesus wants to leverage your life—my life as well. So would you join me on the adventure—simply respond to the next gentle invitation to put yourself in proximity to a stranger’s life. Then listen, ask simple questions, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the common ground. It’s the trail-head to bring the Hope of Jesus’ love to that priceless human on your path today!
(To read Philip’s amazing adventure, check out Acts 8:26-39)
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