Acts 20:24a none of these things move me

You are motivated. Even if you do nothing, you are motivated. Paul is stating here in Acts that he is not moved but his point is that he is determined to go to Jerusalem even though he has been seriously warned that he would be arrested and thrown into prison. Even the Holy Spirit is confirming to him that he is about to be arrested.

Even so Paul will not be moved off point which is seen in the second half of verse 24. “so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul is determined to finish his course, his calling, no matter what.

The end result of Paul staying on course is house arrest and all the epistles he writes there which comprise the bulk of the New Testament. In the 16^th chapter of Acts we read that Paul and Silas were beaten and put in jail only to have God cause an earthquake that set them free and led to their jailers salvation. Paul knew with assurance of faith, that if he were to go to prison, and remain there, it would be according to the will of God and not man.

What motivates you to do the will of God? What motivates you to do nothing? You cannot have it both ways. If you say you do not know God’s will, then I ask you why you haven’t sought His will.

The wisdom of an old Jedi Master comes to mind here. “There is no try. Do or do not.”

What is your motive?

2 Samuel 16:14 And the king, and all the people that were with him, came weary, and refreshed themselves there.

“Are we here yet?”

Who says that? You have a picture in your mind, admit it. If you haven’t said it yourselves, you have heard your kids, seen a commercial, or seen it in a movie. It is classic, something that we can all relate to on a human level. How about a spiritual level? What does it look like on a spiritual level?

Growing in Christ is not all that much different than the kids in the back seat asking are we there yet. Number one, they are not driving, number two, they do not know what the final destination looks like. There is within both an eagerness to get started to do something other than keep looking down that endless road which seems to never end.

It doesn’t end, at least not yet. 2 Samuel 16:14 is a perfect scripture to represent these feelings. All the people who were with Him wearied of the journey. I’ve been on this journey for decades and I might have gotten to the front seat, praise God, but I am still not driving. I am still a passenger who is longing to see a rest stop.

Spiritually speaking the kids in the back want to get started. They believe they have come far enough to get out and do something. They desire to help others while they themselves are still being helped. I have news for them, I am 70 and I am still being helped. That doesn’t stop just because you can help others.

This lesson is as much for me as it is for my young readers. Do not neglect your own growth in Christ just because you are raising up children of your own.