26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." 27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. 29The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it."
30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.
31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth."
34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" 38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
This week we see Phillip being obedient and following the desert road. There, he found an Ethiopian eunuch reading scripture by the side of the road in his chariot. This account give us some reminders to guide us in our daily living.
1. Seek and you shall find
a. The Ethiopian was involved in worship
b. The Ethiopian was reading scripture
c. The Ethiopian had an attitude of learning
2. Find and you shall be freed to experience
a. Freed to experience holiness
b. Freed to experience service to others
c. Freed to experience love and being loved
3. Experience and you will receive blessings
a. Find peace in the midst of the storm
b. Find joy in the midst of sorrow
c. Find strength when you are weak
d. Find knowledge when you have no answers
e. Find your potential in Christ
So many of us do live in the fullness of Christ. Imagine how our loves would be different if we were to seek Christ, find the fullness of His presence and experience the joy and freedom of a Christ centered, sanctified life.
Thought for Today
Seeking, Finding, Being
(it really is that easy)
Just Connie
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