Good morning! Paul went on with his mission traveling from city to city, stopping along the way to greet and encourage believers until he would reach his destination in Jerusalem. While knowing what was lying ahead, Paul remained faithful to the leading of the Holy Spirit. That must have been difficult – torn between what believers say and knowing the Holy Spirit is directing the path. Join me as we read the next seven verses in Acts chapter 21.

Bible Verse – Acts 21:7-14 NLT

“⁷ The next stop after leaving Tyre was Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters[c] and stayed for one day. ⁸ The next day we went on to Caesarea and stayed at the home of Philip the Evangelist, one of the seven men who had been chosen to distribute food. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who had the gift of prophecy.

¹⁰ Several days later a man named Agabus, who also had the gift of prophecy, arrived from Judea.  ¹¹ He came over, took Paul’s belt, and bound his own feet and hands with it. Then he said, “The Holy Spirit declares, ‘So shall the owner of this belt be bound by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem and turned over to the Gentiles.’”  ¹² When we heard this, we and the local believers all begged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem.

¹³ But he said, “Why all this weeping? You are breaking my heart! I am ready not only to be jailed at Jerusalem but even to die for the sake of the Lord Jesus.”  ¹⁴ When it was clear that we couldn’t persuade him, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”“

Reflection

The stop in Caesarea allowed Paul to meet Philip under different circumstances. Earlier in Acts we read about the believers/church in Jerusalem. There was a problem with widows being feed – they were being left out, so the disciples appointed seven (7) people to manage the distribution. One of the seven was Stephen who Paul (Saul at the time) witnessed being murder for being a Christian, which lead to the persecution of Christian’s and scattering of the church. Another one of the seven was Philip. Years had passed since Philip fled Jerusalem, but here Paul and Philip were, together this time both as faithful believers.

Sisters and brothers, while Paul was being informed of his future, Paul must have also seen how God redirected his life. He was able to mend the brokenness of his brothers and sisters in the faith. They were able to witness God’s amazing transformation of Saul to Paul, a non-believer to faithful servants of the Lord and believers.

Paul had come to terms with his future on earth, because he knew his future in heaven, which he pens so eloquently in Romans 14:7-9,“⁷ For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. ⁸ If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. ⁹ For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.”

Sisters and brothers, we do not know the day that we will take our last breath. We do not always know where the Holy Spirit is leading, but we do know as believers – nothing can separate us from the love of God, we also know the Lord of both the dead and the living will always be with you.

Choose to take the road that the Holy Spirit leads you too. Trust the Lord’s plan for your life. Watch how the Lord can take a life altering moment or circumstance and turn it around like he did with Paul and Philip.

• When you look back over your life can you see where God turned things around?

• What are you praying for today?

• Who are you praying for today?

Prayer

Father God, we thank you for today. We thank you for your constant presence in our lives. Lord, we know there are times when our life is interrupted, but we will trust you to help us navigate those situations in our lives.

Lord, we need you so much today. Lord, many are grieving, some are experiencing anxiety, others are worried about loved ones, some are battling chronic diseases and other things. Lord, send your Holy Spirit and let it overflow from within us. Lord, let your peace expand our hearts and make more room for you. Lord, continue to repair your church, cut away the dead things that bear no fruit and prune back branches so that they can bear much more fruit. Lord, lead us in the way we should go. Keep our eyes always open and fixed on you. Lord we choose to follow your lead. Lead on. In Jesus name, amen.

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