Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Opening Scripture

Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:9-10

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you that your mercy to me is new again this morning. I praise you for your forgiveness and grace. By the power of your Spirit at work within me, help me to be fruitful and serve you well this day. Help me to embrace your will, obey your Word, and walk in your ways. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord I pray, Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Acts 8:26-40

Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.

The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading: “He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth. In his humiliation he was deprived of justice. Who can speak of his descendants? For his life was taken from the earth.”

The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.

Reflection  

As Acts continues, the Holy Spirit is still working in the lives of the now thousands of Christians living in Jerusalem. They are growing in the knowledge of the truth through the apostles’ teaching. They are fellowshipping with one another, developing new relationships, eating together, worshiping together, and serving each other through acts of kindness and generosity.

Those who had plenty shared with those in need. This benevolent ministry continued to expand as the Jerusalem Church grew. They established a daily distribution of food to widows; however, this ministry led to disagreements over perceived favoritism, and the church decided to elect deacons to oversee the food pantry. “So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (Acts 6:7).

One of those deacons was Stephen, “a man full of God’s grace and power who did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people.” This attracted the attention of some Jews who began to argue with Stephen, “but they could not stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke.” Frustrated, they brought false charges against Stephen and “stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law.”

Stephen was brought before the religious leaders, and he preached a powerful sermon to them. Instead of repentance, the leaders responded in rage when Stephen said, “You stiff-necked people! Your hearts and ears are still uncircumcised. You are just like your ancestors: You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet your ancestors did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him.”

Acts 8:1 tells us that, after Deacon Stephen was stoned to death by the frenzied mob, with Saul of Tarsus as an approving witness, “a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.” Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went to Samaria and proclaimed Christ there.

As a result of Philip’s ministry, many Samaritans came to faith in Jesus, much to the surprise of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. Old prejudices die hard! “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.” The Jerusalem Church found the reports hard to believe, so they sent trusted representatives to investigate. Sure enough, Samaritans had received the Holy Spirit and were baptized as followers of Jesus.

This thing is about to bust wide open! All attempts to contain the spread of the gospel have failed. The Spirit is moving way beyond people’s expectations or comfort zones. “After they had further proclaimed the word of the Lord and testified about Jesus, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many Samaritan villages” (Acts 8:25). Now realizing that even Samaritans can be saved, Peter and John got in on the act.

This is where today’s passage picks up. Amid a successful ministry in Samaria, God sent Philip southwest for his next assignment. To get Philip to leave a great revival up in Samaria to travel down past Jerusalem to a deserted area seems to have required an angelic messenger. Philip was listening and willing to go.

This divine appointment was with a government official. “Ethiopia” here is not the modern nation in East Africa, but ancient Nubia in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Kandake (Candace) was a title given to the queen mother who oversaw the royal activities. That this Ethiopian had traveled all the way to Jerusalem and was reading the scroll of the prophet Isaiah (especially the Messianic section in Chapter 53) demonstrates that God was working in his life.

That this man could afford a scroll of the prophet Isaiah and was riding in a chariot demonstrates the profound wealth at his disposal. He likely had a Septuagint version of Isaiah translated in Alexandria and written in Greek. As an educated official, it was not the language that confused him, but the meaning. The Old Testament was typically read aloud, so Philip could have easily heard and recognized the portion of Scripture the Ethiopian was seeking to understand.

Once again, Philip was listening for God’s instruction, and he responded quickly when the Spirit prompted him to approach the chariot. Hearing what the Ethiopian was reading, Philip took the initiative. Rather than making excuses or imagining what could go wrong, Philip asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

Whatever “risk” Philip may have taken by “leaning in” was quickly rewarded with an invitation to join the man in the chariot. Philip seized the opportunity to share the good news about Jesus using Isaiah 53. The result was the man’s salvation and request to be baptized. “When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.”

We can only imagine what happened when the Ethiopian returned home, but clearly Christianity was now spreading south, as well as north.

Flourishing Habit

Flourishing Christians

In today’s passage, twice God told Philip to do something, and Philip obeyed.

Do you know how to listen to God?

In the Gospel of John, Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd, and my sheep know my voice.” The writer of Hebrews said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.” And in Revelation, Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

There are numerous examples in Scripture of God speaking to people in dramatic ways. While God first got Moses’ attention with a burning bush, that relationship grew to the point where, “The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend” (Exodus 33:11).

“Listening to God” involves more than hearing audible words. It includes being in tune with God’s heart through a close, personal relationship with Him. Jesus said, “Whoever belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God” (John 8:47). Clearly, there’s an expectation of understandable communication between God and His children.

In Experiencing God, Henry Blackaby says, “If the Christian does not know when God is speaking, he is in trouble at the heart of his Christian life!” Blackaby goes on to explain that God speaks to us by the Holy Spirit through the Bible, prayer, circumstances, and the church (other believers).

God speaks to His children in different ways, according to their needs, but if we aren’t listening or don’t know the sound of His voice, we’re probably going to miss it. On the other hand, if we’re “abiding” in Jesus, if we’re being “transformed by the renewing of our mind,” if we’re seeking to know and do God’s will, it is very likely that we will understand what God is saying to us.

When we read the Word of God, the Spirit of God reveals truth to us. “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). When the Spirit of Truth reveals God’s truth to us, we must adjust our lives to it. The SPACE acrostic can help you do that.

• Is there a Sin to confess?
• Is there a Promise to claim?
• Is there an Attitude to change?
• Is there a Command to obey?
• Is there an Example to follow?

Like Samuel in our Opening Scripture, regularly tell God: “Speak, for your servant is listening”… and mean it.

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!