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During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, ‘Come over to Macedonia and help us.’When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them.We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days. On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshipper of God, was listening to us; she was from the city of Thyatira and a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us. (Acts 16:9-15)
Do you want an adventurous faith? Walk across the aisle in church this Sunday to greet someone you don't know! If you really want adventure, cross the street from your church to meet those whom you don't know and just talk to them about their faith. Both seem hard, don't they? Not to Paul. He even dreamed of places and people he needed to visit. In today's passage, "a man of Macedonia" appears in this dream/vision and pleads with him to "Come over to Macedonia and help us." I love that he didn't say, "Let me think about it," or "Was I dreaming? Does he really want me to 'cross over to Macedonia?'" It says he immediately tried getting there, sailing there to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. He seeks a place of prayer along the river and meets a woman named Lydia, whose heart was opened to the Lord and she and her household were baptized. Her life was never the same.
What would happen to that person who's across the aisle from you in church this Sunday if you just greeted them and asked how they were? What would be the need you would find in that household across the street from your church? It may be your own life you would be blessing by being obedient to the Lord's urging...
PRAYER: Loving God, challenge my faith and my life by allowing me to cross aisles, barriers, obstacles, whatever is keeping me in my comfort zone. I want to and I need to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with someone today. May it be so. In Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio
Prayer Requests: For Rev. Dale White, pastor at First UMC in Alice, TX, having an angiogram done here in Corpus Christi at Spohn Shoreline Hospital. For my father, who was readmitted to Houston Hospice with doctor believing he has about a month to live. We trust God.
