Wednesday the 11th

Acts 16: ⁶ Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. ⁷ When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. ⁸ So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

 

Have you ever felt like you are banging your head against the wall? Have you ever felt like you are doing everything you can do, but the situation looks hopeless? When you feel like that, I want you to remember this passage. Living a life of faith is never a from a to b to c journey. The Lord takes you where He needs you, and sometimes that is not where you think you need to go. SO is that time wasted? I don’t know how many times I have heard that…”I am doing everything I can, I pray for guidance, I go where I feel led, but I see no pay off, I do not see God’s word being spread…..I feel like I am wasting my time” Wasting your time eh? I think we have all been in that boat. Could you imagine the frustration the Paul felt? Ok I am going Asia….what? no? I am not going to Asia…..ok I am going to Bithynia……oh really? I am not going there either…..well let’s head over to Mysia…..no? not there either? Ok well then let’s set out for Troas. Imagine how Paul felt each time he was denied. Traveling back then was not jumping in the car or on the plane, and zipping over to the next stop. It was by hoof or foot, and let me tell you, that leaves plenty of time for frustration, and doubt to set it. If anyone had the right to feel like they were abusing oxygen it was Paul.

 

Now most people might lose faith along the way, they might turn back, they might just decide to stay, and go no further, even though they feel compelled to continue. Not Paul, you see Paul understood a couple of things. He was not leading anyone, anywhere. He allowed himself to be directed by the Holy Spirit, and when he was denied in one place, or when things did not work out, he did not stop to wonder “what did I do wrong?” or “why is this happening?” Not at all! He kept moving, waiting for the peace of the Lord to settle on him. Only then would he stop. So what is the point? Why would the Lord will Paul all over the map, only to be turned away time and time again? Sometimes it is the trip that counts, not the destination.

 

Paul did not travel alone, and as he traveled, his group came in contact with countless numbers of people. We have no idea how many lives Paul and his companions changed as they traveled through the land. Just as you have no idea the impact that you make on this world as you pass through it looking for “what God wants you to do”. That is why Paul cut such a wide path. He did not go into the countries that he “thought” he was supposed to, but he made a difference, he showed the True God to all those he encountered. He touched the lives of those around him even though he did no always accomplish his goal. You see, God’s goal for you right now might just very well be actively getting carried out, and you do not even realize it. It might be the perseverance that you display that someone need to see right now, it could be that the pain you are going through might just be the reassurance to someone that God does redeem, protect, and fulfill His promises. The small kindness that you displayed just might be the spark that lights the fire of Christ inside of someone. Often it is not the loud revivals, the huge service, or the pomp and circumstance that comes with religion that draws people to Christianity. It is the quiet moments, it is the times when we allow ourselves to do God’s work when we think no one is paying attention, it is the kindness done in the name of the Lord that opens the eyes of the lost. Everyone wants to “do God’s work” However we need to remember that we are doing that every day. His plan is fulfilled in our joys, and in our sorrows, in our triumph and in our defeat. God’s plan is bigger than our plan, and I can promise you, often it is not where you are going that counts, it is what you do along the way. You might be denied upon arrival to your supposed destination, keep going, don’t stop, don’t give up, don’t turn back. God is using you right now, where you are at, and on the way to where you are going.

 

 

God Bless,

Brian Thetford

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www.psalm22.net

 

www.theworkweekwithchrist.blogspot.com