Good News Tucson - A Family Values Publication

Keep Hope Alive by Roy Tullgren III

Am I willing to” run up”?

A question I occasionally ask myself is... am I willing to” run up” to an opportunity that God presents for me to share my faith?

One of my favorite Bible passages is Acts 8:26-40. Philip shares his faith with the Ethiopian eunuch, who was the court official in charge of the entire treasury for the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch was a man of importance in the community... a dignitary. When an angel of the Lord told Philip to get up and go down the road... Philip obediently went.

Then when the angel told Philip to go up to the Ethiopian’s chariot... Philip RAN UP to the chariot. What a picture of obedience he presents... and Philip does so with great anticipation and enthusiasm... he RUNS UP to the chariot.

I must admit, I don’t always RUN UP to the opportunities God places before me to share my faith. It makes me wonder how often I have been fearful of sharing my faith with a person of “community stature”. I also ponder how many times I have tried to tell God that I can’t do a certain thing that I think He’s asking me to do. I try to argue my way out of it... as though I know what’s best for me and the situation.

Yet, I know that when I have obeyed and stepped out in faith and shared my faith, God has ALWAYS led me to a blessing of some sort, as He did with Philip. After Philip shared that the Scripture they were reading pointed to Jesus and Philip shared the Good News about Jesus, the eunuch accepted Christ as his Savior and then requested to be baptized right on the spot.

How exciting it is when we share our faith and it is received by others! We witness the Holy Spirit touching a heart and drawing a person into repentance. There is probably no greater thrill we can have on earth than to be used by God as a tool to draw someone to a personal relationship with the Lord. Even if the person does not accept Christ at that moment, you’ve planted some seeds and pointed them in the right direction and there is great joy in that.

Neighbors, public officials, business associates, bank tellers, grocery clerks, co-workers... have we RUN UP to the opportunity or have we RUN FROM the opportunity because of fear. I do wish I could be more like Philip in my obedience every day. I’ve wasted too many opportunities over the years... or I’ve “walked up” instead of RUN UP.

There is little time to waste in the days in which we live. So, we better start to RUN UP to our opportunities... while we still have them.

Roy E. Tullgren III serves as Director for Gospel Rescue Mission. Find out how you can get involved and make a difference by calling (520) 740-1501.