Devotion:
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Read Acts 8:26-38.
The story of the Ethiopian eunuch is one of my favorite stories in the Acts of the Apostles. Philip was directed by an angel of the Lord to travel on the road to Gaza from Jerusalem. As he did so, he encountered an official from Ethiopia who was reading from the prophet Isaiah. The man was the Ethiopian queen’s treasurer. The Ethiopian was seeking the truth of faith in God and seriously studying God’s word, but because of who he was and the fact that he had been castrated in order to serve the queen, he was an outsider whose desire to seek God was shunned by the religious authorities because he was considered to be unclean and unworthy.
Philip, however, took the man’s questions to heart and endeavored to answer him. He opened the scriptures to the Ethiopian man and explained their meaning. As Philip took time to guide the man in his understanding of the scriptures he proceeded to point to Jesus as the fulfillment of these prophecies. As he explained the scriptures, the man came to faith and asked to be baptized. Philip did what he was told to do and in doing so, he helped lead a stranger, a person who is considered an outsider to faith in Jesus.
Personal Worship Option:
By our baptism, we are all called to represent Christ in our actions. How can we ensure that we are living in such a way that people will be drawn to Christ? Pray: Gracious God may all that I say and do draw people to you. Amen.
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