SATURDAY October 7, 2023
A Spirit-Driven Life
When these things were accomplished, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome.” So he sent into Macedonia two of those who ministered to him, Timothy and Erastus, but he himself stayed in Asia for a time.
Acts 19:21-22
Paul remained in Asia Minor, teaching God’s Word in Ephesus for three years. While he continued to minister in Asia, he had a strong desire to see Rome. Paul had a plan––a strategy to go to Rome. Later, when Paul traveled to Tyre, he would find some disciples who, through the Spirit, told him not to go up to Jerusalem (Acts 21:4). Then a prophet by the name of Agabus would also tell Paul that persecution awaited him in Jerusalem:
...a certain prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. When he had come to us, he took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’ ” (Acts 21:10-11).
Knowing what awaited him in Jerusalem, Paul was not dissuaded. He had this one response, “I am in the hands of God.” When in Rome, Paul would write 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy. Eventually, he would be tried, and Caesar Nero would abruptly end his life. He would order him to be beheaded. Paul would be a martyr for Christ. Yet that was God’s will for him.
Know this: Paul was not afraid of death. During his lifetime, he preached the Gospel, taught the disciples of Christ God’s Word, healed people, and was a dedicated missionary. Paul’s life was well spent. He was working for eternity––for God’s Kingdom––not for himself.
Paul’s life was driven by the Spirit to accomplish the work God had given him to do. He never experienced defeat. I will be glad to meet Paul one of these days. Are you driven by God’s Spirit to accomplish the work God has given you to do? Ask God for His Spirit to empower you.
“You are engaged in a work so spiritual, so far above all human power, that to forget the Spirit is to ensure defeat.”
~Charles H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
