"And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him.." Acts 8:29,30
Only a half mile into my run yesterday morning, I was startled by a small dog that ran out of the open door of a house along the gravel road I was traveling. Upon hearing the barking, the dog's owner quickly followed and apologized over and over. Sensing the man was near the point of crying and upset about more than his dog chasing me, I stopped, gently patted his shoulder and asked him if he was okay. I then listened intently as he told me how his wife, and the mother of his two children, had been killed over the weekend in a car accident. Prompted by the Spirit, I said, "You know it's no coincidence that I 'happened' to be running by just now, you know that right? Well I want to tell you that you are not alone. God loves you and I feel I am here to tell you that." Holding back tears, he replied, "That's funny, you're the third person to tell me that in the last two days."
You know sometimes it takes hearing about Jesus more than once for someone to make a decision to follow or to turn back after having gone off-course. And while you and I may never know where we might fit into that timetable, one thing is certain.... we must heed the Spirit's prompting and speak as we are called. Philip was a perfect example of someone who did just that when, upon being told to go, ran. Did you get that part? He was so obedient to the prompting of the Spirit that he ran to the chariot to tell the man inside the good news about Jesus. And the news was so well taken that the man was immediately baptized.
So may each one of us be sensitive to the Spirits' call, never missing a chance to tell someone about Jesus, because as Greg Long writes, "If it takes fifteen times to hear about Jesus for someone to believe, wherever I stand in line, I've got to make a difference in case it comes down to me."
Heavenly Father, thank you for using me today to tell someone that you love them. And since there are so many more people that need to hear that same thing, I pray that we would all be sensitive to the Spirit's promptings and immediately obedient to the commands. Help us to have an urgency, remembering that we might only have one chance. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
Fifteen - Greg Long
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