July 18
Bible Reading: Acts 8:26-29
Acts 8:26, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 8:29, “And the Spirit said to Philip, ‘Go over and join this chariot.’”
In serving God, it’s good to be ready to hear and heed His call. The Apostle Paul spoke of the need to be “useful to the master, ready for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:21). Philip, being filled with the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3), was ready to respond to whatever God asked of him. Was someone needed to wait on tables in the feeding of the widows? Philip was ready to serve. When persecution caused the church to scatter into a new region, Philip was ready to go to share the good news with those who’d not yet heard.
God called Philip away from a successful evangelistic campaign to meet with a solitary soul. An Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Queen, was traveling to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 8:27). Reading from the prophet Isaiah, he didn’t understand and was wondering as to whom the prophet was speaking of. Philip shared the good news with the man, who then believed (Acts 8:38). According to church tradition, the Ethiopian eunuch later returned as a missionary to the Ethiopians.
The same God who led Philip to Samaria to evangelize crowds of people was well-pleased and able to direct him to that desert road to preach the gospel to a solitary soul. Philip was in the right place at the right time with the right words to say—but not by accident. The Ethiopian eunuch had a desire to know the truth, Philip was ready to share it—God took care of the rest. Being “full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3) Philip’s “here am I” response to the Spirit’s leading allowed for him to be used by God in a dramatic and fruitful way. Are you even now yielded to the Spirit in such a way that you are ready to hear and heed God’s call?
I’m ready to go, Lord—anytime, anywhere, at any cost!
LORD, LAY SOME SOUL UPON MY HEART
Lord, lay some soul upon my heart,
And love that soul through me;
And may I bravely do my part
To win that soul for Thee.
Chorus:
Some soul for Thee, some soul for Thee,
This is my earnest plea;
Help me each day, on life’s highway,
To win some soul for Thee.
Lord, lead me to some soul in sin,
And grant that I may be
Endued with power and love to win
That soul, dear Lord, for Thee. [Chorus]
To win that soul for Thee, my Lord,
Will be my constant prayer;
That when I’ve won Thy full reward
I’ll with that dear one share. [Chorus]
LookingtoJesus 