Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

September 20
Friday


A DIFFICULT
PLACE

READ:
Acts 8:4-8,26-35
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I will never leave you
nor forsake you.
__Hebrews 13:5
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When a sudden change in technology made his job obsolete, a highly trained scientist found himself working in a fast-food restaurant. One evening after our Bible study he described the situation as difficult and humbling. He said, "One good thing I can say is that the young people there seem very interested in my faith." A member of the group responded, "I admire you for being humble. I know your faith must have something to do with it."

Like my acquaintance, Philip may have wondered why God would pull him off an assignment in Samaria (Acts 8:4-8) and plop him in the middle of the desert (v.26). But then he found that the Ethiopian needed help understanding the Scriptures (vv.27-35), and his place made sense.

When Jesus promised He would never leave us alone (Matt. 28:20; Heb. 13:5), He meant in the hard times as well as in the good times. Our mission in the difficult seasons of life is to work or serve remembering we are doing it for God, and then to watch as God works to accomplish His purposes.

Look for God in your difficult place and discover what He's doing in and through you there. __Randy Kilgore

````````````````Disappointment__His appointment,````````````````
`````````````````No good thing will He withhold;``````````````````
```````````````````From denials oft we gather````````````````````
```````````````Treasures of His love untold. __Young````````````````
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What's better than answers to our why questions?
Trusting a God who has His reasons.

*****************************Today's Bible Reading __ Acts 8:4-8,26-35****************************

4 Therefore those who
were scattered went
everywhere preaching the
word. 5 Then Philip went
down to the city of Samaria
and preached Christ to them.

6 And the multitudes with one
accord heeded the things
spoken by Philip, hearing and
seeing the miracles which he
did. 7 For unclean spirits,
crying with a loud voice,
came out of many who were
possessed; and many who
were paralyzed and lame were healed.
8 And there was
great joy in that city....

26 Now an angel of the lord
spoke to Philip, saying,
"Arise and go toward the
south along the road which
goes down from Jerusalem to
Gaza." This is desert.

27 So he arose and went. And
behold, a man of Ethiopia, a
enuch of great authority
under Candace the queen of
the Ethiopians, who had
charge of all her treasury, and
had come to Jerusalem to
worship, 28 was returning.
And sitting in his chariot, he
was reading Isaiah the
prophet, 29 Then the Spirit
said to Philip, "Go near and
overtake this chariot."

30 So Philip ran to him, and
heard him reading the
prophet Isaiah, and said, "Do
you understand what you are
reading?"

31 And he said, "How can I,
unless someone guides me?"
And he asked Philip to come
up and sit with him.

32 The place in Scripture
which he read was this: "He
was led as a sheep to the
slaughter, and as a lamb
befoer its shearer is silent, so
He opened not His mouth.

33 In His humiliation His
justice was taken away, and
who will declare His
generation? For His life is
taken from the earth."

34 So the enuch answered
Philip and said, "I ask you, of
whom does the prophet say
this, of himself or of some
other man?" 35 Then Philip
opened his mouth, and
beginning at this Scripture,
preached Jesus to him.