Running to Obey

Word
Acts 8:29-31
The Holy Spirit said to Phillip, "Go over and walk along side that carriage." Phillip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. Phillip asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The man replied, "How can I unless someone instructs me?" And he urged Phillip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.

Acts 8:36-37
As they rode along they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look! There's some water. Why can't I be baptized? And Phillip said, "If you believe with all your heart you may." He answered and said, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God."

Observation
Phillip is told by an angel of the Lord to go a certain direction and he obeys. And on that path he sees a carriage driving along when the Holy Spirit speaks and tells him to go and walk beside it. Phillip again obeys without hesitation and runs to the vehicle. The eunuch is reading the Word of G-d without guidance. Phillip asks him if he understands it, and he responds, "How can I unless someone instructs me?" He urges Phillip to get into the carriage with him, and as a result the eunuch declares Jesus the Son of God and is baptized by water.

Revelation
Several things strike me in this passage. For starters, Phillip's hesitation free obedience leads to someone's salvation. The Word doesn't say anything about Phillip asking why he should do these things, he just does them.

Secondly, when instructed by the Holy Spirit, instead of questioning whether it's his own voice in his head or really the Spirit, Phillip runs, not walks to his destination. What tenacity for the Lord he had that he would run after the call of G-d.

Thirdly, when Phillip arrives at the carriage he hears the eunuch reading from Isaiah, which leads him to ask a simple question: "Do you understand what you're reading?" It doesn't say G-d revealed anything to Phillip. It just says that he heard what the eunuch was reading, assessed the situation, and responded with both logic and faith. I think we make this too hard most of the time. I saw someone on a bench at Walgreen's today. The Spirit told me to go over to her. Unfortunately I didn't run, but I eventually got up the nerve and went over to her and told her what I know to be true. I said, "If you'll call on Him He'll save you." She said, "Okay." I saw her name tag and said, "Melissa, I'm talking about Jesus." She said, "I know." with her head bowed. There's no specific formula for spreading the Word of G-d. We just have to be willing vessels and He will use us.

Lastly, it was the way that the eunuch asked for instruction and urged Phillip to get into the carriage that got my attention. And while this world may not be doing that with it's mouth, it does it with it's actions. It's begging for us to share the good news of Jesus, for us to disciple them, and help them obtain salvation through Christ.

Devotion
I want it all G-d. I want to be like Phillip with his tenacious spirit to just obey at a moment's notice. When You call I want to run to where You're calling me to. I want to stop the madness of thinking I'm not good enough, or that I'm too busy, or whatever the excuse to not obey. I just want to help people to get saved. They're begging for us to do it, even if they don't know it. Amen.