Acts 18; Spirit Orchestration

Aquila grew up in Pontus and moved to Rome. He and his wife Priscilla were forced from Rome to Corinth. Paul was journeying from Thessalonica through Berea and Athens and stopped in Corinth. Together all three then moved on to Ephesus where they split up for some reason. Paul continued his journey and the couple stayed. Meanwhile, a young scholar from the Jewish community in Alexandria, Egypt moved to Ephesus as well. Who had gone down to Alexandria to teach him? We don't know. Acts 2 mentions Jews from Egypt who were present at the Pentecost event; maybe one of them took the gospel to Alexandria. And so a traveler from Jerusalem touched an Alexandrian who bumped into a Pontus couple that just left Rome and Corinth to reside in Ephesus after having lived with Paul in the middle of his long journey. Either it is fascinating circumstance or amazing orchestration by the Spirit.

Did they know that the Spirit was guiding them to these meetings in order to evangelize the known world? Did they have inner leadings, signs or dreams to guide them? Only Paul is recorded as having any vision and that did not regard any of the locations mentioned above. It seems far less glamorous and far more subtle in the text. The Spirit accomplished his will through dedicated people but in a "low key", almost imperceptible way.

Occasionally we are blessed to recognize God at work in the moment. Even more rarely we get the chance to know what he will do in the future. Yet it seems we most commonly are able to see his handiwork in retrospect. Occasionally I lose a golf ball after a long shot on the course -- thankfully this is a less frequent occurrence than it used to be. The way to find the ball is to go where I thought is was and then align myself with the tee box and the objects (hills, bushes, cart path, etc.) that the ball flew over. When I turn back to the course, I am able to better understand where to look for the ball next. Often, anticipating where God will be next or where he would most probably use me is much the same. By looking back I see where I used to be, recognize the way he has led me up to this point and then can turn back to the future following the trajectory of the past to better align myself with his desires -- whether that be in Ephesus, Egypt or elsewhere. To see his work in retrospect is to anticipate his work in the future.

Joshua 18-19; Initiative

“How long will you wait before you begin to take possession of the land that the LORD, the God of your ancestors, has given you? Interesting question. It highlights the Divine-Human interaction. God gave but they had to "take possession". They were not to sit in camp and wait on God to do everything. They were to respond to his promises.

There are big issues where this idea has been lost. I have no idea how many church fights, debates and articles have been generated by the grace - works debate. I think Joshua would have weighed in on the debate saying "yes" to both sides. By grace God gave them the land; by works they took possession of it. So, "yes" to both.

It would be easy to scoff at those who spend hours in these debates were it not for the fact that we all live out the debate personally. Do I pursue a career or wait on God to drop an opportunity on me? Do I exercise disciplines to become holy or does holiness come as a gift from God? If I believe God wants me to move somewhere, change jobs or talk to someone, then do I wait on him to do it or do I start working?

There seems to be a fine line between religious laziness and waiting on God. Likewise there is a fine line between religious fervor and not waiting at all. To take action in God's name without listening to him is disastrous. To take no action because we are always in a state of waiting is negligence. To do both is the goal of the Divine-Human interaction.

Joshua 2; God here?

God seems to show up in the strangest places sometimes. Just when we think we have him all secure in nice church buildings, good Christian universities or well conducted small groups, he surprises us. In this chapter he worked through a prostitute to speak to spies. Their message then encouraged his chosen leader to boldly move forward.

Prostitutes and spies. Those are not the typical people we think of God working in. The story pushes our box open forcing us to remember that God is the God of heaven and earth (to use the words of Rahab). Reflecting on other stories of the Old Testament, God worked in Egyptian midwives, a sorcerer, foreign kings and even a donkey.

Today, then, where might I find God? Perhaps in a casual conversation in the hallway, the homeless man at the traffic light, the rebellious student or any one of a million other options. It seems that the primary issue is not if God is active around us but can we see him. An wise doctor once told me we can only diagnose what we look for; you can't diagnose a disease you are not familiar with. Likewise, we will never see God at work if we are not looking for him . . . whether in a church building or in the most unlikely places and people imaginable to us.

Lord, today, open the eyes of my soul and give me spiritual vision.

Luke 12:13-21; American Fool

The subtitle in the text calls this the story of the rich fool. It would seem appropriate to call it the American Dream. Work hard, save for the future and retire comfortable; isn't that the dream we are taught from birth?

The text written so long ago seems to be quite timely. Is it speaking against hard work or planning? I don't think so; both are praised in other places. The punch line indicates that the text is speaking against a focus of life, i.e., a focus upon self care only.

In my rush to take care of self (or even family), how much effort do I give to take care of God's business? How much attention do I pay to the spiritual life on a daily basis? What and where is my treasure anyway?

One Thing; Luke 10:38-42

As a North American who is full of myself and trained to multitask in a frenzy-paced world, this story is frustrating. Yet as a human who longs for rest and simplicity, this story is compelling.

I don't like that we give Martha such a bad rap at times. According to the story, it was her home, she took the initiative to open her home to Jesus and his fellow travelers and she was taking care of a pretty important person in significant ways. All of these are qualities to be respected.

Yet it was not her initiative or even her work that was critiqued by Jesus. Rather it was her worry that he critiqued. Being upset about "getting it done" is what he noted as negative.

So today, as I think about the next thing on my "to do" list, I will not change what I am doing but I pledge to do it without worry and being upset. I will try to work with my hands while my heart lingers in the presence of Jesus.