Acts 20: 13-20
We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost. From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.
Wherever Paul goes, he always first finds a group of brothers and sisters to work together with and to provide mutual encouragement and support. Therefore, before he left Ephesus and was preparing to go to Jerusalem, he gathered the elders whom he worked with for the past three years to encourage one another. These are people whom Paul lived with and grew together; not only were their lives molded through Paul, Paul's life was also molded by God through them. God often uses people around us, such as family or brothers and sisters at church, to discipline our lives. It's the purpose of God to reveal our shortcomings and weaknesses through these relationships and even conflicts.
Some have said that God often places unlovable people around us so that we'd learn how to love, but the reality is that God always places lovable people around us to show us how unlovable we are so that we may turn back to Him to receive more love and virtues from God. Our physical family shapes our natural life, and in the same way our spiritual family shapes our spiritual life.
Many years ago I was serving with others in a bible study group in Philadelphia. I was there chairman and there was a coworker in charge of devotions. One day he called me and told me that I was weak in the spirit. I was depressed after his call, and I wondered why he could say that I was weak in the spirit. When I looked back, however, I realized that he was right after all. I thank the Lord because through all these setbacks my life has become more abundant, and my personality became more cheerful and I became more open-minded. May the Lord help us, mold our lives so that we may become more like Jesus.
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