“After testifying and preaching the word of the Lord in Samaria, Peter and John returned to Jerusalem. And they stopped in many Samaritan villages along the way to preach the Good News.”
Acts 8:25 (NLT)
It’s easy to think the mission only happens in the “big moments”—the main city, the main assignment, the obvious place God is moving. But in Acts 8, Peter and John didn’t rush back to Jerusalem when their work in Samaria was finished. They chose to stop in many Samaritan villages along the way and preach the Good News.
Those villages mattered to God too. Even if Luke doesn’t record the names, the numbers, or the visible fruit, I believe the same Jesus who met Samaria met them. The same Holy Spirit who healed, delivered, and filled people in the city was able to do it again on the road—through ordinary obedience and unhurried love.
I see myself in the temptation to travel straight home—focused on schedule, stress, and getting to the next thing. But God keeps putting people “along the way.” Opportunities in my home, at work, at church, at the store, and in my community. The question is whether I’m too busy to notice, or submitted enough to slow down and let the Holy Spirit work through me.
So today, I don’t want a faster journey—I want a better one from God’s perspective. I want to preach along the way, pay attention, and testify to what Jesus has done. If I’ll slow down, God can put joy on display and love others through my life. I know I have work to do. What about you?