Read Acts 8
Jenna Christie
To me, biblical obedience can be defined as hearing the word of God and acting on it. I believe that obedience and love go hand-in-hand. The decision to say “yes” and then take action involves true understanding and devotion. Although, sometimes, it isn’t as simple as that, just ask my two-year-old who chooses to throw his dinner plate most nights even though I believe he loves us. Sometimes, obedience needs to be learned and processed, and other times, we simply just hear and take action.
That is how it is for the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8:26-40. Philip, being guided by the Holy Spirit, encounters a high-ranking court official who is reading the prophet Isaiah while traveling. It is in Philip’s explanation of Christ’s crucifixion out of Isaiah 53 that the eunuch hears the word of God and takes action by deciding to be immediately baptized on the spot out of his new revelation of the love of Jesus displayed on the cross.
There was no hesitation, there was no thinking twice, he wasn’t ashamed, he didn’t need days to process. He just saw some water and took an obedient step of action that led him closer to Jesus. This baptism signified his conversion to Christianity and is inherently important because he became one of the first Gentile converts mentioned in all of Scripture.
Acts 8:35-37
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture, he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?”
Obedience isn’t always easy, but it can be history-changing and legacy-altering. Simply hearing the word of God and acting on it can change everything. It is also important to note that this all came about because of Philip’s initial step of obedience to approach the official and share the gospel.
Application:
Think back to the last time you heard God ask you to do something, to believe something, to change something. Have you taken action on those words? Ask God to search your heart and reveal steps of obedience that you need to take, remembering that it all comes from an overflow of love.
