{"id":1969,"date":"2019-12-16T09:47:39","date_gmt":"2019-12-16T17:47:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1969"},"modified":"2019-12-16T09:47:39","modified_gmt":"2019-12-16T17:47:39","slug":"devotion-acts-201-6-changing-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/?p=1969","title":{"rendered":"Devotion Acts 20:1-6 Changing Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"

Acts 20:1-6\u00a0<\/b>–\u00a0When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples\u00a0and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.<\/span>\u00a02\u00a0He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,<\/span>\u00a03\u00a0where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him\u00a0just as he was about to sail for Syria,\u00a0he decided to go back through Macedonia.<\/span>\u00a04\u00a0He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus\u00a0and Secundus from Thessalonica,\u00a0Gaius\u00a0from Derbe, Timothy\u00a0also, and Tychicus\u00a0and Trophimus\u00a0from the province of Asia.<\/span>\u00a05\u00a0These men went on ahead and waited for us\u00a0at Troas.<\/span>\u00a06\u00a0But we sailed from Philippi\u00a0after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas,\u00a0where we stayed seven days.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples\u00a0and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.<\/i><\/span>\u201d\u00a0 After the riot caused by self-serving business owners in Ephesus, and the Lord causing a non-believing City Clerk to calm down a murderous mob (Acts 19<\/b>), Paul spent some time to make sure that the Church at Ephesus was on stable ground before he moved on.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,<\/i><\/span>\u00a03\u00a0where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him\u00a0just as he was about to sail for Syria,\u00a0he decided to go back through Macedonia.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Along Paul\u2019s journey to Greece he and his companions spoke words of encouragement to previously established churches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul stayed in Greece for three months.\u00a0 Likely it was winter time and so he was likely staying there till through the winter until travel would be safer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As Paul was about to sail for Syria, somehow he was alerted that some Jews were plotting to murder him, possibly the same Jews from Corinth who had earlier risen up against him.\u00a0 One thing we know for sure is that anyone who plots murder in name of their religion either is a false adherent or insane.\u00a0 But then again, anything but the Gospel is a false religion and so who knows what evil may come from it.\u00a0 The Jews plotted to take the same ship as Paul and toss him into the sea.\u00a0 As a result Paul changed his plans and doubled back and went to Macedonia instead of directly to Syria.<\/span><\/p>\n

Paul who came to the Lord on the road to Damascus (Acts 9<\/b>) was not the same Paul who was later to be martyred for His witness for the Lord.\u00a0 No, the Lord had been teaching and growing him.\u00a0 He increasingly had learned to follow the lead of God instead of his own plans.\u00a0 He had learned that though he may think of good reasons to do one thing or go one way, God always has a better plan.\u00a0 After all, Paul, as Saul, had formerly thought that pleasing God was killing Christians. \u00a0\u00a0Paul learned that it is best to yield to the Lord\u2019s plans.\u00a0 He learned that charging ahead may not be the best example of following the Lord\u2019s will, but instead he increasingly learned to let the Lord lead him.\u00a0 Paul learned to adapt from his plans to the plans of the Lord.\u00a0 Still, that does not mean that there would be no trouble as Paul as he would continually encounter.\u00a0 As we know, the Lord never said everything would be easy, quite the opposite (John 16:33<\/b>), but He did say it would all be worth it, and that is what we cling to (Matthew 11:28-10, John 14:1-3, Hebrews 6:10<\/b>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus\u00a0and Secundus from Thessalonica,\u00a0Gaius\u00a0from Derbe, Timothy\u00a0also, and Tychicus\u00a0and Trophimus\u00a0from the province of Asia.<\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Paul\u2019s group had grown.\u00a0 He was leading souls to Jesus and He was building them up to serve as pastors and evangelists.\u00a0 The known world was being quickly evangelized by not many men.\u00a0 Not by their own will and strength, but by the plan of the Lord.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese men went on ahead and waited for us\u00a0at Troas.<\/i><\/span>\u00a06\u00a0But we sailed from Philippi\u00a0after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas,\u00a0where we stayed seven days.<\/span><\/i>\u201d\u00a0 Notice that Luke is again using \u201cus.\u201d \u00a0So again he is with the group.<\/span><\/p>\n

The previously mentioned group went ahead of Paul.\u00a0 Some think they were used as a decoy.\u00a0 As those who were plotting against Paul watched his companions, he slipped away differently.\u00a0 He stayed at Philippi during the Festival of Unleavened Bread before meeting up with them at Troas and staying seven days with them there.\u00a0 Let\u2019s note that Paul was still observing the Jewish celebrations, this one was the Festival of Unleavened Bread.\u00a0 Yes, Paul was the Christian Apostle to the pagans, but he loved his Jewish ancestry and cherished how the Jews had been the guardians of God\u2019s Word and they were the ones whom God used to gift the whole world with what would come to be known as the Old Testament, the riches revealing the wonder of the New Testament.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we first become Christians we make plans as to how we think we can best serve the Lord.\u00a0 Too often we want to rush forward and preach the Word and evangelize the world in our own power, not fully understanding how to follow God.\u00a0 God is patient with us and brings us where He will in order to bring us to our fulfillment of His purpose.\u00a0 Serving God, learning to follow His lead, and gaining the wisdom and understanding that God has for us is a process.\u00a0 For us to be used God has lessons for us to learn and wisdom for us to obtain.\u00a0\u00a0 Some grow in wisdom and knowledge quickly.\u00a0 Others of us, are strong willed and the process takes longer than it needs too.\u00a0 But the Lord knows how to raise His children.\u00a0 We learn to trust Him rather than ourselves.\u00a0 How lovely and wonderful is the love and patience of God.\u00a0 Praise God who loves us, His children, so completely!\u00a0 Praise God!<\/span><\/p>\n

Psalm 150:6<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.\u00a0 Praise the Lord!<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 7:7<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0But as for me, I watch\u00a0in hope\u00a0for the\u00a0Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear\u00a0me.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

Micah 6:8<\/b>\u00a0–\u00a0He has shown You, O man, what\u00a0is\u00a0good; And what does the\u00a0Lord\u00a0require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God<\/i>.<\/p>\n

Numbers 6:24-26<\/b>\u00a0\u201cThe\u00a0Lord\u00a0bless you and keep you; 25\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26\u00a0the\u00a0Lord\u00a0turn His face\u00a0toward you and give you peace.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Acts 20:1-6\u00a0–\u00a0When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples\u00a0and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia.\u00a02\u00a0He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece,\u00a03\u00a0where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him\u00a0just as he was about to sail…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1192],"tags":[82,104,100,101,2525,17],"class_list":["post-1969","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotion","tag-acts","tag-hebrews","tag-john","tag-matthew","tag-micah-numbers","tag-psalm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1969"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1970,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1969\/revisions\/1970"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1969"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1969"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.Bob4God.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1969"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}