Overview of: ActsToday's Reading:
Acts 8:1 – 9:43
"The Gospel Travels"
Focus Verses: Acts 8:30-32
30 Then 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. 32 The 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."
Insight:
Philip was able to find and help the Ethiopian because:
1. He received direction from the Holy Spirit (vv.26 & 20).
2. The Ethiopian was already seeking God through worship (v.27) and the scriptures (v.28).
3. He knew the scriptures so well that he could recognize what the man was reading and could explain how that scripture pointed to Jesus.
Response and Action:
I need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading. I need to be thinking about how I can be a help to people around me who are seeking truth. I want and need to be very familiar with the Scriptures so I can be ready to explain how they point to Jesus.
O God, thank you for reaching out to humanity and revealing yourself through your son, Jesus, through the Scriptures, and through your people. Please lead me into paths where there are opportunities to help others find you. Help me to recognize those who are seeking for the truth that can only be found in Jesus. Help me to know, understand, and remember the scriptures, and give me the words and ability to explain how they point to Jesus. Amen.
Old Testament for Today: Isaiah 53:1,7-8
1 Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? - - - 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was stricken.
In Context: Isaiah 53
Proverb for Today: Prov. 1:5
"...let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance..."
Recommended Reading:
Hope Has Its Reasons
by Rebecca Manley Pippert
