Acts 16: 9-15 (NRSV)
Read Acts 16: 9-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." Verse 10When 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. Verse 11We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, Verse 12and 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. Verse 13On 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. Verse 14A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper 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. Verse 15When 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.
Devotion
We're typically a busy bunch. "What should we be doing?" What project, program or direction should we pursue? But as busy as we are we can't do everything. I know for myself it is often more difficult to ask "What should I NOT do?"
Paul was eager to spread the gospel. And yet this part of the Acts story begins with what Jesus is telling Paul NOT to do, where he SHOULDN'T go, to whom he should NOT preach. It must have been difficult for old Paul to hold back; one can’t help but wonder what that command felt like. But NOT doing something left Paul free to finally do what God had in mind for him. So he was ready to respond when he received the vision instructing him to go into Macedonia.
Of course, the doing is always more complicated than it first appears. Are there things we’re not supposed to do, or do we just not feel like it? Is it too intimidating or boring or "beneath us?" Even after the vision, Paul still had to "conclude"—that is, figure out—what exactly he was supposed to do. So what might God be forbidding us to do or undertake today? Who should we NOT talk to? What should we NOT do so we are ready for the very thing that God has in mind for us down the road? And how do we know
Prayer
Lord, open our eyes, minds and hearts to hear both the dos and the don’ts that you speak to us, and give us the wisdom to come to the intended conclusions. Amen.