Entrusted to God

Reading: Acts 20; Psalm 94 25 “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 32 …now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.” (Acts 20:25, 32 NLT) Paul and his team were on the Mediterranean beach at Miletus, near Ephesus. This was a quick stop on the way to Jerusalem, and Paul was being warned by the Holy Spirit in each church he visited that he would be persecuted and then imprisoned when he reached Jerusalem. He asked the elders of the church of Ephesus to meet with him for one last time. Paul had spent several years with this church, and many of the leaders were converted and trained under his ministry. Now Paul and the leaders of the Ephesian church were together for what they knew would be the last time. It was a powerfully emotional goodbye as Paul “let go” of this church and these dear friends he had led and trained and cared for as his dear children in Christ. Paul entrusted the church, its leaders, and the ongoing work of growing and building up the body of Christ in Ephesus, to God. He had done his part, and now it was time to let go and trust the work of the Holy Spirit and the powerful message of God’s grace. Paul not only had to trust God with the fruit of his faithful service, he had to trust the men and women he had discipled and trained to carry on; faithful to the message and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. One of the greatest challenges we face, after a lifetime of learning to “hold on” and labor faithfully, is to recognize and respond to the season of “letting go”, trusting the fruit of our labors to God and to those we have led and influenced. Is there someone or something you need to “Entrust to God” and gracefully, graciously release? Prayer: Father, May my friends and I learn to “hold on” with diligence and determination in the face of all obstacles and challenges in the season of our assignment. And just as importantly, may we learn to “let go” at the right time and in the right way. May we, like Paul, entrust to you and your Spirit the fruit of our labors and the people we have loved. Amen.