Humility

Acts 8:26-31

26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked. 31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

God led Philip away from his thriving ministry in Samaria to a lonely wilderness road so that he could share the gospel with a lonely Ethiopian eunuch.  The eunuch, the Treasurer to the Ethiopian Queen, had gone to Jerusalem to worship and maybe to seek answers to questions that he had about scripture.

The eunuch was reading from the Book of Isaiah as Philip, at the urging of the Holy Spirit, approached him.  He saw that the eunuch did not understand what he was reading and the eunuch invited Philip into his chariot to sit with him and explain the scripture.

As we read the Bible, we will discover passages that we do not understand.  The first step in understanding is to admit to ourselves that we do not understand.  The second step is to invite someone who is knowledgeable to explain its meaning.  These two steps are acts of humility.  

All spiritual things should be approached in a spirit of humility.  

It is only through humility that we grow in our relationship with God.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)