Being a Vessel of God Volume 5

We have a Savior in the name of Jesus Christ. Some like to call him our Lord and Savior and they would be right to do so. While we all want a Savior, many of us even after salvation do not want a Lord. We see this in the fruit of our walk in our Christian life. Having Jesus as Lord means we gave Him ownership of our lives to do what He wishes. We have given our bodies to a loving Father to be used for His perfect Will. The more we struggle with the submission of our lives the more heart ache we cause ourselves. There is a peace in being in the Father’s Will and having a Lord who can direct us as we ought to live on this side of glory. That being said, many times we struggle with the places that the Lord calls us to dwell, whether it’s where we live, work, attend church, or places where we minister. Every move that the Lord has called us to is moving us closer to the purpose of our creation and deeper into His sufferings and resurrection to be conformed to His image. We must allow every move to take place in order to glorify our Father and to complete the mission of His perfect Will. In the places that we are struggling with in our lives because we feel like we are not making progress, please seek the Father to see if it is Him that closed the door. He opens the door that no man can close and closes the doors that no man can open. Rest in the Lord and His perfect plan and see the Joy in Serving an amazing Lord!!! Be Encouraged!!! Have a wonderful life of being a vessel God can Use on purpose!!!!!

Acts 16

Timothy Joins Paul and Silas
1 Paul came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was Jewish and a believer but whose father was a Greek. 2 The believers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. 3 Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. 4 As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. 5 So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

Paul’s Vision of the Man of Macedonia
6 Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7 When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. 8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Lydia’s Conversion in Philippi
11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district[a] of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.
13 On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. 14 One of those listening was a woman from the city of Thyatira named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth. She was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. 15 When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.