“Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.” Acts 8:4 NKJV.
God’s plans are bigger than where you’ve been and better than what you’ve done.
My thoughts and comments today are about being “up to nothing but good.”
Sometimes God has to allow unfavorable circumstances that dislodge you from your comfort zone in order for you to accomplish more than you would have, had you remained where you were and as you were. You will be flooded with a myriad of questions. “Why this? Why me? Why now?” That is rarely a comfortable process. “Those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word.” Acts 8:4 NKJV.
Scattered! That description tells you their relocation was involuntary, forced by circumstances beyond their control and contrary to their wishes. Persecution had come to the Christians in Jerusalem. They seem to have forgotten Jesus’ parting words to them. “You shall receive power after the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 NKJV. God’s plans are bigger than where you’ve been and better than what you’ve done.
Maybe they had grown comfortable in doing what they were doing and being where they were. They failed to extend their boundaries, not fully accomplishing God’s intent for His Kingdom until God permitted situations that stretched them beyond their customary and convenient routines and in the direction of His purposes. God will have something higher and better in the uncomfortable things He allows into a person’s life. God is neither protective of your comfort nor worried about your discomfort. He is committed to your usefulness In His Kingdom and your personal fulfillment.
In this instance, the uncomfortable experience for those Christians was persecution. They fled Jerusalem for their own and their families’ safety, and in doing so they embraced God’s higher purposes – everywhere they went, they were preaching about Jesus. It is better to fully embrace what God wills than to need natural events to spur you to do so.
Until my discomfort at remaining as I am becomes greater than my discomfort at becoming what I could be, I will remain content to stay where I’ve been, doing what I’ve done. That provides neither growth nor progress. God has a privileged assignment for your life that only you can do for His glory. Your Father loves you too much to allow you to shortchange yourself by reluctance or resistance.
What do you do when things get uncomfortable? Whine and complain? Hold on to the status quo? Blame God for not removing your difficulties? Joseph saw God’s hands in things much more than uncomfortable. To his brothers, Joseph “What you intended for harm, God intended for good . . to accomplish what now is . . the saving of many lives.” Genesis 50:20 NIV. You can trust God’s loving hand upon your life, and believe that nothing God allows will ever be for your harm or loss. God is always up to nothing but good. Read Jeremiah 29:11 NLT.
Sometimes the closed door is the Lord’s protection, and sometimes the open door you avoid may be the Lord’s provision. The answer is to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14 NLT), confident in His Word (Matthew 4:4 NIV), and familiar with His voice (John 10:2-5). I love that when the Jerusalem Christians were scattered, ”they went everywhere preaching the Word.” Every circumstance can become your opportunity to share the Good News.
Today, my prayer for you is to see the eternal purposes of God behind the momentary problems.