May 4
Acts 8:26-27
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,”
Obedience is always better than sacrifice and the one who obeys receives their reward. Think of a time you were given clear cut instructions but because of your own selfish desires and futile thinking you deliberately disobeyed that instruction and for that reason you found yourself wanting. Surely you can think of many instances like that. Now think of the blessings you have missed out on and the struggles you have created for yourself, as well as the pain you have inflicted on yourself by simply disobeying. There are many things that cause us to disobey. A few being lack of understanding, lack of trust, failure to accept, and our disbelief. Other times it’s because we lack direction and grounding in the Word of God. Simply put if someone tells you to do something and you lack faith in the person or you lack understanding and foresight about what you’re being told you’re more likely to ignore that instructions. And this is the struggle that most of us find ourselves in.
Let’s take this passage for example Phillip could have disregarded the instructions simply because did not know the outcome of the command he was given. This would have in turn resulted in the Eunuch not having the opportunity of experiencing God, and receiving the answers that he sought after. If Phillip disobeyed there would not have been the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, at least not how we know it now. It is important that on each of our parts we obey first the Lord and second those He has placed in our lives. Today is a new day, a day to turn a new leaf, and a day of newer and greater opportunities. Let us use this day as a start of a clean slate. A slate were we obey the Lord at His every word. Just imagine how different your life would be if you allowed God to be God in your life. Obey, for obedience indeed is better than sacrifice.
