Obedience and acceptance in the desert

lessons we as Christians have to learn, far more than we could ever imagine. Every day we learn something about ourselves that we have to either accept, or allow the Lord to change.

One thing that I have had to learn as a Christian, is to not expect lost people to act like a saved person. Nor expect people that are new Christians to act like the way I do, as if sanctification wasn’t a process. I had a lesson in this during a mission trip to Mexico. I couldn’t understand why a team member was cursing. I said something about it, and was told that the guy had only been a Christian for a couple of weeks. The sin I had of judging him was way worse than his sin as a new believer.

My mind also goes to scripture, where Philip the evangelist was told by an angel to go to the road from Jerusalem to Gaza into the desert. There he met the Ethiopian eunuch. He had been to Jerusalem to worship (Acts 8:27), and was returning home. The eunuch was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah, and had come to Isaiah 53:7-8.

Phillip was obedient to The Lord, and in being so, he was able to help the Eunuch to understand the scripture concerning Christ. This led to the Eunuch trusting in Jesus and being baptized by Phillip.

Phillip had to first accept God’s leadership in where he should go. Then He had to accept the opportunity that God gave him to share with the Eunuch. As a reward God gave Phillip the blessing of baptizing him.

We need to be understanding of people, and meet them where they are. We certainly shouldn’t expect them to act like someone that they’re not. The grace and mercy that has been given to us freely, but be given of us as well. Who knows the blessing that we forfeit when we fail in this. Be on the lookout today for someone that God has in your path to minister to today. Be Blessed.