Follow the Path

So the Twelve called a meeting of all the believers. They said, “We apostles should spend our time teaching the word of God, not running a food program.  And so, brothers, select seven men who are well respected and are full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will give them this responsibility.  Then we apostles can spend our time in prayer and teaching the word.”

Everyone liked this idea, and they chose the following: Stephen (a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit), Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas of Antioch (an earlier convert to the Jewish faith).  Acts 6:2-5

Over the past couple of months, I have felt challenged in different ways.  In those challenges, it feels that another path is being opened, and I have begun to pray what that might mean for me in the future.  That makes me nervous as no one truly knows what the future has in store.  When dealing with such uncertainty, there are two things I have come to rely on.  First comes from Proverbs 3:5-6, which says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”  The second, Philippians 4:13, says, “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”  These are powerful reminders for me that while I do not know what the future has in store, I should trust God fully for there is nothing that I cannot handle through Christ. 

We must always walk faithfully the  path that God has set before us.  Today’s verses focus on the story of Stephen, who was about to take on a far different path than what was supposedly set for him.  He was one of five given the task to run a food program.  That would seem uninspiring.  However, Stephen's path would lead him to perform miracles, be falsely arrested, be an unyielding testifier for Christ, and see God and Jesus in the heavens before being killed.  Now sure, we might look at it as, “Hey!  He got stoned to death, and that’s not good, right?”  But through simply choosing to follow his path, he did things that even most of the Apostles did not do and saw God and Jesus prior to going up to Heaven.  How many of you would make that trade (live an incredible God inspired life and seeing both God and Jesus near the end)?  Had he not been faithful and followed what was asked of Him, none of this would have happened.  The Book of Acts is full of stories where people made the choice to follow the path God had laid out for them, and from Peter to Paul to Cornelius and others, their lives were changed and blessed along with furthering God’s Kingdom. 

God has laid out our path to a greater understanding of His will for our lives.  We may not fully understand it and we may be hesitant to pursue it.  However if we fully trust in Him and faithfully walk it, we, like Stephen, will have a fully blessed life.  What path is God presenting you with?  How can you trust in Christ to courageously overcome your fear of pursuing it?  My prayer is that we trust in God and Jesus Christ, and then simply follow the path.  Amen.