“You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done
the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to
me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you
needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.”
My son works for a well-known food retailer. When he leaves for work, I wish him
well and he always responds in exactly the same way: “I’ll do my best, Dad.” And I
know that he will. That’s exactly what we are reading in this passage today. We are
meeting Paul as he addressed the leaders of the church in Ephesus and he wanted
them to know that he did his best. He didn’t hold anything back. He suffered with
them and told them everything they needed to know, even if they weren’t keen to
hear it. He had done his best.
Paul had spent three years with the church in Ephesus, which was a very long
ministry for him. On this particular occasion, he was eager to get to Jerusalem in time
for Pentecost. So he decided not to make the journey to Ephesus, but invited their
leaders to make the 30-mile journey to the coast to meet him at Miletus (v17). His
speech to them is deeply moving and reveals his deep love for them and his
passionate desire that they should be strong in the face of whatever opposition they
might encounter. Paul was sure that this was the last time that he would meet with
them, and he was right about that, although he had no idea why that was going to be
the case. The fact was, when he got to Jerusalem he was going to be arrested and be
sent, finally, to Rome to face trial.
Paul wasn’t perfect and neither are we. We all fail. But God looks to us, frail as we
are, to do our best and, amazingly, he will take that and use it to his glory.
Question
Are you committed to doing your best for God today?
Prayer
Lord God, I know that I often fail you. Thank you that you are willing to take and use
what I give to you today. Amen

Released on 21 Jul 2024