Daily Scripture:
Acts 20:17 But he did send from Miletus to Ephesus, summoning the elders of the Messianic community. 18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia, I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with much humility and with tears, in spite of the tests I had to undergo because of the plots of the unbelieving Jews. 20 You know that I held back nothing that could be helpful to you, and that I taught you both in public and from house to house, 21 declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and Greeks alike: turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Yerushalayim. I don’t know what will happen to me there, 23 other than that in every city the Ruach HaKodesh keeps warning me that imprisonment and persecution await me. 24 But I consider my own life of no importance to me whatsoever, as long as I can finish the course ahead of me, the task I received from the Lord Yeshua — to declare in depth the Good News of God’s love and kindness.
25 “Now, listen! I know that none of you people among whom I have gone about proclaiming the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I testify on this day that I am innocent of the blood of all. 27 For I did not shrink from proclaiming to you the whole plan of God.
28 “Watch out for yourselves, and for all the flock in which the Ruach HaKodesh has placed you as leaders, to shepherd God’s Messianic community, which he won for himself at the cost of his own Son’s blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you; and they won’t spare the flock. 30 Even from among your own number, men will arise and teach perversions of the truth, in order to drag away the talmidim after themselves. 31 So stay alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, with tears in my eyes, I never stopped warning you!
32 “And now I entrust you to the care of the Lord and to the message of his love and kindness, for it can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who have been set apart for God.
33 “I have not wanted for myself anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have provided not only for my own needs, but for the needs of my co-workers as well. 35 In everything I have given you an example of how, by working hard like this, you must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Yeshua himself, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.’”
36 When he had finished speaking, Sha’ul kneeled down with them all and prayed. 37 They were all in tears as they threw their arms around his neck and kissed him farewell. (Complete Jewish Bible).
Reflection Questions:
Paul was traveling to Jerusalem, carrying an offering from Greek Christians who were eager to help their needy fellow Christians in Jerusalem. But Paul knew it was likely that arrest and prison awaited him in Jerusalem. In an emotional farewell to the elders in Ephesus, he reviewed his legacy of ministry among them, connected it to Jesus' self-giving legacy and sketched the tasks he trusted them to carry on when he was gone.
- Do you know what your life mission and purpose is? Like many people, you may think, “Not really.” Paul’s words in verse 24 can help you begin to identify that purpose (even if you haven’t consciously chosen it). What is there in your life that would move you to say, “Nothing, not even my life, is more important than ____________”? As that answer comes into focus, pray about whether it fits better into God’s definition of a good life legacy, or that of the society around you. Ask God to help you make any needed course corrections.
- In verses 28-29, Paul pictured the leaders of the church as shepherds responsible to guide and protect their “flock” from spiritual hazards. In that, he echoed Jesus' own picture of his work on earth (cf. John 10:11). How have spiritual “shepherds” helped to guide and protect you in your faith journey? To shepherd someone else, you don’t have to hold any church office. To whom can you be a spiritual shepherd?
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist. Janelle finds that her heart is constantly wrestling with the truth that she needs a Savior, and the times when she's at her very best are when she's just too tired to put up a fight.
At the end of 2017, a coworker asked if I wanted to join her 1,000-mile challenge for 2018. It’s a challenge where all steps are tracked throughout the year, with the goal of reaching 1,000 miles by December 31st. Did I want to join? Not really. But then I thought about it, and I figured it would keep me aware of my activity level and hopefully increase it.
To reach 1,000 miles over the year, one must average 2.7 miles per day. With a job that basically involves sitting at a computer all day, I knew this would take effort. I generally leave the office without even hitting one mile, let alone close to three.
What this challenge has forced me to do is to be intentional about getting steps. There have been multiple days when all I wanted to do was go home and sit on the couch. The only thing that got me to the elliptical was my goal of 1,000 steps. I have to keep up with my step goals now, so that I don’t spend December pacing my house. It’s amazing how this little challenge has influenced my behavior for the better. Dare I say I’m having fun doing it?!
I set this 1,000-mile goal for my health and I’ll set goals for work. Yet for some reason, I have carved out my spiritual life as being goal-free. I have no spiritual goals. I am on the path of being in the same place spiritually next year as I am today. It’s not as if I’m in a bad place spiritually, but with my faith being so important to me, one might think I would hope it to be stronger.
It makes me wonder how I might live differently if I were to set a spiritual goal for the next year or even five years. What would happen if I set a spiritual goal for the next twenty? What might it look like if I were to set a goal for the next one hundred years, long after I’m gone? How might God use me now for the desired outcomes in the next century?
It’s fascinating to think how my spiritual life or the lives of others might look differently if I were to put more intentionality behind it, to set goals. On the flipside, it makes me wonder what kind of spiritual legacy I’ll leave if I don’t. I fear there would be many wasted opportunities.
Maybe we can set aside time with God to dream about “Thy kingdom come, on earth as it is in heaven.” Can you see it? In laying out specific goals to partner with God to achieve this, I envision the mighty things he can do – both in the healing of the earth and through the invigoration of our souls as our behaviors are molded toward the accomplishment of God’s glory.
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You might also like:
- A legacy of caring about “the least”
- Investing for the master’s purposes, not hoarding
- Wise life choices shape our legacy
- Prayer Tip: What Would Jesus Say About Building a Legacy?
- My ways allow you to build a substantial, durable life
- Or download this week's printable GPS.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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