FBC Daily Devotional – December 29, 2021

Well, a good Wednesday to you. I hope your week's going well, and we're wrapping up this year and looking forward to the beginning of a new year. Are you setting some goals for 2022? I hope you are. I hope you're praying about them and you know really asking the Lord to give you some things that he wants you to pursue in the coming year and that you might you might have a sense that these are these are goals that God wants you to pursue.

I'll say more about that in just a minute. But before we look at some ideas regarding establishing some some good goals, in our reading for today in Acts chapter 20 is that story of Eutychus, you know the young man who was sitting in the window and Paul was in that upper room and he was in the room as well sitting in that window and Paul's speaking and it got really late at night.

Paul just kept speaking and talking and sharing what was happening in the ministry and so forth and Eutychus sitting there in the window, he just fell asleep and fell out of the window and everybody thought poor guy had died because he fell so far and hard, but you know, Paul went down raised him up and he was he was all good.

Well, that whole incident has surely provided plenty of fodder for some humor in the church, hasn't it? You know talking about long-winded preachers and all the rest of that stuff and then you know preachers on the other hand use it as fodder for talking about people in their church that fall asleep.

I suppose in our church, you know, there could be some there could be some use this on both sides, right? I mean, I I know I see people from time to time who doze off and I don't blame them for that I you know, I can't I'm not.

I don't I don't fault them for it. I don't criticize them for it. I figure it's probably my fault for being boring. I don't know but and on the other hand. People in the pew could say well, you know if you weren't speaking so long, I'd be I could stay awake easier.

Yeah, well, whatever the case what I see here all humor aside. What I see here is an interesting evidence of Eutychus's the genuineness of Eutychus's conversion I mean the very fact that he was there and he was there late into the evening this young man.

He didn't need to be he didn't have to be there. There was nobody forcing him to be there. But he wanted to be there. He wanted to hear what what Paul had to say. He wanted to hear what what God was doing through this man's life.

That's a pretty good indication that God's Spirit has worked in a man's heart. That he would have that kind of an interest and a desire to hear what God is doing. What God's you know you how God's using a guy your God's message from his Apostle.

So, you know, I look at that a little differently. It's I'm not critical of Eutychus in the least bit or of Paul. Paul had a lot to say he was only gonna be there for a very short time and much to communicate and Those who were there they wanted to hear what he had to say.

Eutychus included and they did because they loved Christ and they loved God's Word and they loved God's messenger. Okay, so Getting back to the idea of goals though Paul had a had a well-established goal and and it comes out in verse 16 here.

Here's what it says acts 20 verse 16 says Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia. Why? For he was hurrying to be at Jerusalem if possible on the day of Pentecost.

All right. So Paul had this goal in mind to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. That was his objective and that established goal that he had for himself. That drove the decisions that he made along the way.

He realized if I stop and spend too much time in Ephesus I'm not gonna be able to get to Jerusalem by Pentecost. So I'm gonna have to bypass Ephesus and indeed he did and He he did stop and some elders some Ephesus came to where he was.

So he didn't he wasn't delayed and he spent some time talking with him and so forth but what's interesting in verses 22 and 23 as He's sharing with the elders at Ephesus. He says this he says and now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem and I believe what he's communicating.

There is I am convinced in my spirit that God's Spirit has Has established for me this goal to get to Jerusalem. I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem. I don't know what's waiting for me there. He says except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city saying that chains and tribulations await me and Yet he's going.

He's gone. Why is he doing that? Why is he when when he keeps hearing the message that when you get to Jerusalem? You're gonna you're gonna be bound and and imprisoned. Then why would he go? Well because he was convinced in his heart that this objective to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost Was one that God gave him to pursue.

That's that's pretty powerful and that's why I mentioned at the beginning here to that I think it's helpful for us and and needful for us really as We look forward to this coming year to really be thinking a lot about Lord.

What would you have me to do and and ask the Lord to really give you some convictions in your heart? About goals that he would have you pursue and own For 2022. That's yeah, that's what I'm doing. And I'm just really praying that the Lord will give me The right kind of objectives to pursue for my for my life personally for my family my marriage for the for the church and that they will be Objectives that that God gives me and that I will have an enthusiasm and a passion to see those things accomplished.

So how much will he do? I don't know but that's the direction. I'm praying because I find this to be very helpful what Paul Experienced and and I think it's the kind of experience that we all ought to hope for that God would so convict us of a direction to go.

That we will head in that direction. It'll affect the decisions we make and we'll head in that direction. Regardless of the cost because we know it's the right way to go. It's good convictions to have Father guide us we pray at the closing of this year.

That we would look forward to the new year with some God-given goals and objectives for 2022 this we pray in Jesus name. Amen. All right. Have a good rest of your Wednesday. I trust the Lord will bless you in it.

Good day.