THURSDAY October 28, 2021
A Tearful Goodbye
“So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts 20:32-35
Notice, Paul never fleeced the flock of God; he provided for his own needs. I love that! This is the only place in the Bible that you will find these particular words that Jesus spoke: “ ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” I love these words of Jesus.
Then Paul knelt down and prayed with all of them. Do you think it was a moving time? I guarantee it! There were many tears shed by everyone as they kissed him, which in this culture were kisses of greetings:
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship (Acts 20:36-38).
Can you imagine as they watched Paul depart on a ship, and as he slowly moved away from them––it must have been so heartbreaking. The next time the Ephesian believers would see Paul would be in heaven.
I remember when I was in India. I stayed there for ten days, but when it came to the last night, it was so hard to leave. In ten days, we had become so close to each other. I had taught them day and night. We prayed and ate together; they had become like my family. Everyone was weeping and crying when I left because it felt as if I had been there for ten years. This has happened to me in China and in South America. You become knitted together with people in the body of Christ. What a reunion heaven will be!
The moment we take our last breath on earth, we take our first in heaven.
~Billy Graham~
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