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Time with god

Our Daily Devotional is a bite-sized bible study that appears in your inbox, Monday-Friday!

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May 10

Separated to Scatter

GETTING STARTED

Don’t you just love the way the Holy Spirit, through Luke, shows us again and again just how committed God is to his mission? We have seen that he uses suffering to scatter his missionaries all over the place. The ancient pastor Tertullian was right when he said that the blood of the saints is the seed of the church. In this passage, we see that God even uses human frailty to continue his purposes and expand his kingdom. Here, God doubles his labor when Paul and Barnabas separate over a disagreement about the usefulness of another brother with a questionable track record. Not only did the people of Cyprus hear the gospel, but so did the people of Syria, Cilicia, and Galatia!

  • What trial or mess has God used in your life to spread the fame of his name?

READ THE WORD: ACTS 15:36-41 (ESV)

36 And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brothers in every city where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” 37 Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. 38 But Paul thought best not to take with them one who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. 39 And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, having been commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

DIGGING DEEPER

  1. What was the reason Paul was hesitant to bring Mark along?
  2. Can you imagine how the church felt when they saw two key leaders in a “sharp” disagreement? What did the separation of Paul and Barnabas do for the mission of God?
  3. How does the fact that God will even use human frailty encourage you and embolden you in your daily walk as an ambassador of Christ?

RESPOND TO GOD

The sovereignty of God over all things—including when two brothers in Christ sharply disagree—is deeply comforting. It shows us that God will accomplish his purposes. They cannot be thwarted, regardless of our poor choices or mistakes. This passage shows us just how committed God is to his mission, and it should cause us to reflect on our commitment to his mission in the world. This vision of his commitment should also give us courage to take risks for his glory. We can’t mess it up, and when we think we do, he is often working in and through us in ways we didn’t expect.

  • Ask God to shape your heart to reflect his passion for the spread of the gospel.
  • Ask God to redeem situations where we can only see the “sharp disagreement” side of the picture.
  • Thank God that he uses human frailty for his glory.
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What to expect

The goal of Time With God is to help you connect with God through Scripture and prayer. Each of our daily devotionals will allow you to dive deeper into a passage of Scripture and teach you how to apply it to your life.

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A word from our team

Welcome to Time With God! We exist to help you connect with Scripture and grow deeper in your relationship with the Lord. Our daily devotionals will provide you with an easy and accessible way to study Scripture for yourself, whether you are a new believer or a long-time follower of Jesus.

We created Time With God to be one tool among many that you can use to help you dive deeper into God’s Word and learn how to apply it to your life. Through spending regular time with the Lord, we hope and pray you would experience the peace and ever-increasing joy that comes with knowing and following Jesus.

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  • Follow-up questions to help you dive deeper
  • Ways you can practically apply God’s Word
  • Prompts to guide your time in prayer
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