By Andrew Williams – November 10, 2021
Scripture: ” When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he refused; but after telling them goodbye and saying, “I will return again if God is willing,” he set sail from Ephesus.” Acts 18:20-21 AMP
Observation: The ones to whom he was speaking in the synagogue wanted him to stay for a little longer. In my mind I’m thinking that the conversation was so good that they wanted to debate even more , or they wanted to hear more of what he was saying.
At times we have no idea how impactful our words will be on other persons. We need to just do as the Spirit of God leads us so that we can be a blessing to others . At times we need to follow a routine of just engaging persons in conversations , and just pray for the Holy Spirit to speak to them through us.
Paul refused the invitation to stay a little longer, because he was in a rush to get to Jerusalem before the Passover. This shows me that we should never lose mind of our purpose and our plans , even when the opportunity to share the gospel in a specific place is presented to us. It is our duty to follow God , and not be carried away by the possibilities in this world . Our focus should always be on what God wants us to do in the timing that He wants us to do it .
Paul however promised that if it was God’s will he would return . I believe that this conversation with Paul was a catalyst to open the minds of these Jewish persons in Ephesus to the reality of who Jesus Christ was.
We should never underestimate how impactful our conversations can be . As children of God it is our duty to go into the whole world and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ .
Application :
1. I will seek God to know my purpose and His plan for my life.
2. I will follow the plan and purpose that God has for me.
3. I will always seek to share God’s word with persons no matter how short of a time that I have with them.
Prayer: Father God thank You for being the focus of my life . I will live my life pleasing You at all times . In my travels I will seek to share You with all the persons who You place in my path , and even though sometimes I may not be able to spend extended times with them I will speak Your truth to them in the time that I have .
I ask that You would honor my obedience by using Your Holy Spirit to speak to them in ways that I cannot even imagine. Father God, I ask that You would provide someone else to continue the work that I have started in these persons lives. I ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.