36
He hadn’t found what he came all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to seek! He resorted to the reading of the scriptures, which perhaps could be of help to him…
Do you understand what you read? Many folks read, yet they never come to the place of understanding (2 Tim. 3:7), because they are never really interested in drawing life from Jesus (John 5:40).
Fruitfulness is God’s command and desire for us, amongst other things. He desires that we abound in good works and grow steadfastly.
However, fruitfulness is a by-product of understanding. We must come to the place of understanding before we can attain spiritual fruitfulness. In Matthew 13, the Bible tells us about the seed that was sown on a good land, which typifies a heart of spiritual understanding. Such a seed commanded a bountiful harvest.
The problem which each of the other lands had was with the ‘heart condition’ which mainly signified lack of understanding. This is a prevalent issue in the church of God today. This ‘plague of the heart’ has hindered the fruitfulness of many folks in the church (Matt. 13:18-23).
Do you understand what you read? Many of us read the Bible, quote the scriptures, yet we lack the understanding of the scriptures and of the power of God. This is the gateway to error… (Matt. 22:29).
God told Philip to leave Samaria for a ‘desert’ and he simply obeyed (Acts 8:26-27). God might be calling you into a place which looks like a desert today, simply obey and follow His instructions for your life.
The Ethiopian eunuch was returning from Jerusalem to Ethiopia, he attended the combined worship service, but there was still a vacuum in his heart.
He hadn’t found what he came all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to seek! He resorted to the reading of the scriptures, which perhaps could be of help to him…
Philip was sensitive and obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit and this eventually produced a great output…
One important lesson to note here is that, when Philip asked him, ‘Do you understand what you are reading?’, his response, which was borne out of a modest and humble heart was ‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’. He had a teachable heart.
Furthermore, understanding comes through the entrance of God’s words (Psalm 119:130).
Do you understand what you read? Many folks read, yet they never come to the place of understanding (2 Tim. 3:7), because they are never really interested in drawing life from Jesus (John 5:40).
May the LORD grant us the heart of understanding, that we may behold wondrous things out of His words, and abound in fruitfulness…
PASTOR NATHANIEL SADELA
RESIDENT PASTOR
Kindly like our facebook page and follow our post at www.facebook.com/gacikeja and tweets at www.twitter.com/gacikeja.