Take a moment to read Acts 20:13-38 before reading the devotional below.
Paul, Luke and the other missionary travelers are sailing through the Mediterranean Sea past some islands on the way to Miletus. Because he is being led to return to Jerusalem, Paul summons the church leaders from Ephesus to come to him in Miletus. He has a final message for them because the Holy Spirit has prophetically revealed to him that he will suffer and be put in jail soon.
Paul’s parting message to the Ephesians? “Remember everything I told you. Remember who I have been to you. Remember my character and the truth about Jesus that I shared with you. Don’t let anyone ever take away what God has established.” After a final prayer and a lot of tears, Paul gets back on a ship and says goodbye.
Everything you do for God has lasting fruit. Sometimes we have to say goodbye to people and things here on earth. Sometimes God calls us to something for a time and then he calls us to end that and begin a new journey. These moments are often so bittersweet, and it is important for us to feel both the losses and the excitement for new adventures. But no matter what, God will grow fruit from seeds he has led us to plant. Paul was saying goodbye to the Ephesians — people he had deeply sown into for years — but the fruit of his work there continues to impact us even today. Eternal work always leaves a lasting legacy.