Great Plains Daily Devotional for 5/15/2020

Acts 8:26-40

An angel from the Lord spoke to Philip, “At noon, take the road that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) So he did. Meanwhile, an Ethiopian man was on his way home from Jerusalem, where he had come to worship. He was a eunuch and an official responsible for the entire treasury of Candace. (Candace is the title given to the Ethiopian queen.) He was reading the prophet Isaiah while sitting in his carriage. The Spirit told Philip, “Approach this carriage and stay with it.”

Running up to the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you really understand what you are reading?”

The man replied, “Without someone to guide me, how could I?” Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. This was the passage of scripture he was reading:

Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter
    and like a lamb before its shearer is silent
    so he didn’t open his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was taken away from him.
    Who can tell the story of his descendants
        because his life was taken from the earth?

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, about whom does the prophet say this? Is he talking about himself or someone else?” Starting with that passage, Philip proclaimed the good news about Jesus to him. As they went down the road, they came to some water.

The eunuch said, “Look! Water! What would keep me from being baptized?” He ordered that the carriage halt. Both Philip and the eunuch went down to the water, where Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Lord’s Spirit suddenly took Philip away. The eunuch never saw him again but went on his way rejoicing. Philip found himself in Azotus. He traveled through that area, preaching the good news in all the cities until he reached Caesarea.

Running up the carriage, Philip heard the man reading the prophet Isiah.  He asked, Do you really understand what you are reading? The man (Eunuch) replied, Without someone to guide me, how can I? Then he invited Philip to climb up and sit with him. vv. 30-31  Don’t you love it when the Holy Spirit moves and opportunities are opened right before our eyes? 

The man continued to read the passage out loud to Philip.  Then the invitation, the eunuch asked Philip, tell me about whom does the prophet say this? That was all it took for Philip to seize the moment and share God’s grace and the gift of new life.  And the eunuch was baptized when they saw a body of water.

As we continue our journey through the book Catch Fire in 50 Days, this passage reminds us that all people everywhere have a hunger from God’s Word.  This passage also reminds us that when the opportunity comes, we need to fan the flame and share God’s grace.  If we are living the heart and eyes of Christ, then it’s time to seize the moment and take the opportunity to share.

Philip teaches us a great lesson about evangelism. We have the greatest gift in the world, the gift of God’s grace, and that is good news to share! There are no boundaries that should hold us back.  There is no recognition that someone is different than we are.  Let’s seize the moment, knock down the boundaries, and see all people with the eyes of Jesus! 

Prayer for Reflection

Acts 7:55-60
Psalm 31:1-5,15-16
1 Peter 2:2-10
John 14:1-14