Devotion by Mike Geiger originally published May 18, 2012 on www.whataboutjesus.com
For this week’s Sermon from Cross & Crown (CLICK HERE)
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-26)
Scattered by the wind!
Last fall our lawn was sprayed to kill the dandelions. This year my lawn was filled with them. Last fall I cleaned out our garden and didn’t plant anything. This spring the garden area was filled with weeds. The reason? The wind had fun blowing seeds and depositing them all over our yard. We would have never known except those seeds took root and began to grow.
The spread of the good news about Jesus happens in a similar way. Although it’s not the physical wind that blows, the Spirit of God blows when and where he wishes. For the early believers, the impetus for scattering the seeds of the Gospel was the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem. What seemed like a hardship and tragic situation, led individuals out of Jerusalem into the surrounding cities. Wherever they went, they planted Gospel seeds, “telling them the good news about Jesus.” The result? “…a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”
Are you open to where God might “scatter” you to connect you with someone who needs to hear the “good news about the Lord Jesus?” As you travel on your next business trip, plan your next vacation, drive for the next field trip or contemplate a major move, are you open to God’s Spirit scattering the good news of Jesus through you? The place where God has you today and the place he will take you tomorrow is a place where he wants to use you to connect a soul to the saving message of Jesus.
Our confidence? “The Lord’s hand was with them…” You are not alone. Even if the reason for a move or transition is painful, know that just as the wind blows seeds to plant them, so the Spirit scatters God’s people to plant the Gospel message in the hearts of people all over the world.
Prayer: Lord open my eyes to see individuals around me wherever I am today that need the good news about Jesus. Grant me your Spirit to embolden me to speak, trusting you are with me and will work through the words you allow me to speak. Amen.