Do’s and Don’ts

Acts 16:9-15
When reading the Bible, we are usually confronted with words describing how we are to live and act as Christians in response to the gift of God’s grace through Jesus Christ. In our prayers we often ask our heavenly Father to help us to ‘DO’ or Lord, what do you want me to ‘DO?” It is often more difficult to ask, “What should I NOT do?” We know how eager Paul and the apostles were to spread the Gospel to all nations. Yet, in the lead up to the Acts reading this week, Jesus through the Holy Spirit is telling Paul what NOT to do, where he SHOULDN’T go and to whom he should NOT preach. The Bible doesn’t tell us exactly how the Holy Spirit prevented the mission.
But we do see that God was in charge of the mission. Often the church searches for God’s calling in mistaken directions and failed attempts. God’s spirit often speaks through frustrating and difficult insights. By NOT doing something, Paul was left free to finally do what God had intended for him. So he was free to act when he received the vision instructing him to go into
Macedonia. NOT DOING can free us up to DO God’s will. Is there something that God might be forbidding us to do or tackle today? Who should we NOT talk to? What should we NOT do so we are ready for what God has in mind
for us, perhaps a little further down the road? And how do we know? Lord, open our hearts and minds to hear both the do’s and don’ts that you speak to us and give us the wisdom to discern your will as you lead us. Amen
Pastor Darryl