Acts 20, 21
Have you ever had to say good bye to someone that you weren't going to see for a long time? Travis and I have to do this every summer when we travel to Michigan. We are excited to see our family and friends, but after a week or two, we have to say good bye and return home. It's a difficult and painful part of the trip: knowing that it will be a long time before we see our loved ones again.
Paul and his friends had to endure this pain, only worse. Paul was urged by the Holy Spirit to go to Jerusalem, where he anticipated persecution and possible imprisonment. He even believed that he would never see his friends in Ephesus again. In a farewell to his friends, he said: "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace. Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again." They wept and they grieved when they thought about never seeming their friend and spiritual leader again.
But when Paul compared this to the task of following God, he had no choice. All that matter was finishing the race and being obedient to the Spirit. Thankfully, they could take comfort in knowing that there is more to life than what is in this world. Even though they were not going to see each other again in this world, they would one day be together, forever with God in heaven.
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