A Word from John 8

Do you remember the last time you had to run away from something? I'm tempted to say that I'd have to go all the way back to my childhood to remember the last time I had to run away! But then again, even if we don't flee physically, don't we sometimes "run away" emotionally? We avoid difficult conversations. We wiggle out of requests that make demands on us or make us feel inadequate. And while all of us are likely to face occasions when running away seems like the best thing to do, it's worth considering: What are we going to do as we run?

I say all this because of a single line that comes in today's word from Acts Chapter 8. Stephen, an early leader of the Christian movement, had just been stoned to death. And the Bible says that a great persecution broke out against all the believers. And they were forced to run away from Jerusalem to escape potential harm. 

But here's what catches my attention. "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." (8:4) Now, the word for "preached" in that sentence is the Greek word "evangelizo," from which we get "evangelism." So what we're being told is that even in this challenging situation, these believers were finding ways to share and to be "good news." 

And so, I wonder: Could we share and be good news today? Hopefully, we're not being forced to run away from anything! But even if we are, can we trust enough that God is with us - and be thankful enough for His ongoing gifts to us - that we can't help but to have His goodness work through us?

So today, whether we're running from danger or toward opportunity, may we be preachers of the word. And may there be a little more "good news" in the world because we are. Amen.