Thursday of the 3rd
Week of Easter -
April 23, 2026
The Company We Keep Matters
Acts 8:26-40 | John
6:44-51
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Today's
Readings
Acts
8:26-40 An angel
told Philip to go south on the desert road. He went. He saw an Ethiopian
official reading Isaiah in his chariot. The Spirit said: Go and join that
chariot. Philip ran, explained the Scripture, baptized the man, and was
immediately taken away by the Spirit. The official went on his way, rejoicing.
John
6:44-51 Jesus
said: no one can come to me unless the Father draws them. Everyone who listens
to the Father and learns from Him comes to me. I am the living bread that came
down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever; the bread I will
give is my flesh for the life of the world.
Today's
Thread: When the Spirit says go, run.
Philip did not
question the angel. He did not ask for a detailed plan. He went. And when the
Spirit said, "Go and join that chariot, Philip ran. Not walked. Ran. The man in
the chariot was reading about the suffering servant in Isaiah and had no idea
who it referred to. Philip arrived at exactly the right moment because Philip
moved when God moved.
Jesus says the Father draws people to Him. The
Ethiopian was being drawn. Philip was the instrument. The living Bread was the
destination.
Living
It Today:
Today, saints
George and Adalbert are remembered, both martyrs who did not wait for
permission to be courageous. George faced the empire. Adalbert faced the
pagans. Both ran toward what others ran from.
Is there a chariot near you today? A person reading
something they do not fully understand, waiting for someone to run alongside
them? Ask the Spirit to show you. Then move when He says move. Not tomorrow.
Today.
Something
to sit with today:
Philip ran when the Spirit said, "Go." When was
the last time you moved quickly in response to what you sensed the Spirit
asking of you? If something held you back, why?
The Ethiopian official went on his way rejoicing. One conversation changed his
entire life. Have you ever had a Philip in your life, someone who ran alongside
you at exactly the right moment? Have you ever been that Philip for someone
else?
This is why the company we keep matters more than we often admit. Wise, good,
and faithful friends are not a luxury; they are one of God's most powerful
instruments in a human life. A close friend who walks with God can see what you
cannot see about yourself. They can speak truth when everything else whispers
comfort. They can encourage you to step closer towards your faith when fear says
wait, and they can gently redirect you when you are on the wrong road. The
Ethiopian did not find Philip by accident. He was being drawn. And Philip was
close enough to God and available enough in spirit to be placed right there.
That is what a true friend in faith does. They carry you further than you would
have gone alone. They help you understand what you are reading. They rejoice
with you when the water is found. And sometimes, quietly, they change the
entire direction of your life.
Do not underestimate the weight of a close,
faithful friend with whom you experience and journey through your life; keep in mind, the
voices closest to you will help shape the person you are becoming.
Who in your life right now is spiritually with you, not just walking nearby,
not just watching from a distance, but actually in step with where God is
taking you, because they genuinely care about your spiritual well-being? And
honestly, are you being that kind of friend to anyone else?
Rosary Man Jim 🌹
