Our All-Inclusive God

~~~ Acts of the Apostles 8:26-40 ~~~ Psalm 66 ~~~ John 6:44-51 ~~~

“Do you understand what you are reading?”

For twenty five years I taught reading.

Reading is not just about the ability to call out the words.

Reading is about comprehension...understanding.

If there is no understanding there is no reading.

The best way to insure comprehension

 is for the reader to learn to create a picture 

of what the words mean.

Grab a children's picture book and you will see
that the illustrations bring the text to life.

If we can picture something then we can gain deeper understanding.

It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words.
Sometimes all we need for understanding is the picture...
the words are not sufficient.
God sends an angel to send Philip out
 at the precise moment for his path to intersect that of the eunuch.
God sets in motion the conversion of this eunuch,
someone who exists on the edge.
Eunuchs are different; they have been rendered sterile.
God seeks out all peoples no matter their physical condition.
This Ethiopian eunuch was different from
the Jewish people, he was a person of color.
God's love is all inclusive. 

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him...

This sentence almost leaves the impression
that we are standing on the sidelines waiting for the signal to enter.

God the Father draws each person to himself.
There is no exact timeline. It is not an art or a science.
It is gift...the gift of faith.

This gift of faith is always there, always being offered to us.
Some walk on by as if they are not interested.
Some pretend the invitation does not exist.
Some think the invitation is for others and not themselves.
Sometimes we are given the gift,
but we do not understand its significance.
Some accept the gift; only to toss it aside later.

And then there are those who accept the gift
and hold it close to their hearts.

Once we have this gift our desire
 is to wrap ourselves around it until it comes near suffocation.

But once we come to Jesus,
 we can no longer be content to keep
 it hidden from plain sight.

Blessing often come in the form of a teacher
 to help us understand the gift.

The eunuch was given Philip, a Spirit-filled teacher.
Who is your trusted teacher?
Who helps you understand the words of Scripture more fully?

The more understanding we have
 the more we are able to express our appreciation.

~~~ Peace ~~~