Life does not turn out the way we think it should...sometimes!
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| English: John the Baptist baptizing Christ (Photo credit: Wikipedia) |
9 But there was a man named Simon, who had previously practiced magic in the city and amazed the people of Samaria, saying that he himself was somebody great.10 They all paid attention to him, from the least to the greatest, saying, “This man is the power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they paid attention to him because for a long time he had amazed them with his magic. 12 But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. 13 Even Simon himself believed, and after being baptized he continued with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles performed, he was amazed.
14 Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, 15 who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit. 18 Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, 19 saying, “Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” 20 But Peter said to him, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!21 You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. 22 Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. 23 For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity.” 24 And Simon answered, “Pray for me to the Lord, that nothing of what you have said may come upon me.”
25 Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans.
Acts 8:4–25
Life doesn’t always turn out the way we think it should. All of us will experience some level of pain, loss, and tragedy. In the moment, such experiences can be crushing, if not devastating. We can become consumed by these moments of grief and despair, and succumb to their burdens to the point that we turn in on ourselves, not out to God.
Regardless of our circumstance and situation, God has a way of working things out for his eternal good. He’s promised to those who love him that he will “work all things together for good” (Rom. 8:28). We might not be able to see how God will take a tragedy in our life and work it out for our good and his glory, but thankfully he has provided us with many examples from the Scriptures, in particular Acts 8:4–25.
We observed the martyrdom of Stephen followed by “a great persecution against the church” (Acts 8:1). This wave of oppression came like a mighty wind that scattered the church throughout the region. Despite being persecuted and displaced from their homes, those who were scattered didn’t falter in their faith in God but “went about preaching the word” (Acts 8:4). What appears to the eye as a terrible situation was an event God orchestrated to further the spread of the gospel of Jesus beyond the confines of Jerusalem (cf. Gen. 50:20).
By the grace of God, look beyond the limitations of your struggles and fix your eyes on the God of hope who will complete the good work he began in your life (Phil. 1:6).
Questions
- What motivated Philip to travel to Samaria? (Read Acts 8:4.)
- The Samaritans were ostracized from the Jewish population, yet this was the first group of people outside the Jewish community to receive the gospel. What does this tell us about the mercy, grace, and intent of God in building his church?
- Simon attempted to manipulate God for his own personal desires (Acts 8:18–19). Do you attempt to manipulate or bargain with him?
