When Philip ran up to it, he heard him reading the prophet Isaiah, and said, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” (Acts 8:30)
Phillip’s question is very striking.
Imagine you’re having your daily devotions, reading God’s word. Phillip walks up to you and asks, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”
How would you answer?
It’s perfectly okay to answer, “No.”
But do we care enough to seek understanding of the parts we don’t understand?
The Ethiopian eunuch did, inviting Phillip to sit with him, and humbly asking him to explain what he was reading.
Perhaps the most important question, though, is, “What do I do with what I do understand?”
Through Phillip’s teaching, the eunuch came to understand, “I need to put my faith in Jesus. And the first step is to get baptized.”
So immediately, he asked Phillip to baptize him.
Jesus said,
Therefore take care how you listen. For whoever has, more will be given to him… (Luke 8:18)
Put another way, if we not only seek understanding, but also act on what we do know, Jesus will enlighten his word to us even further.
That’s what happened with the eunuch.
How about us? Sure, there may be many things that we don’t understand in the Bible. And yes, it’s important to seek understanding.
But what do we do with what we do understand? Are we saying yes to Jesus and obeying him?
So here’s the challenge. The next time you read your Bible, ask yourself these three questions:
- Do I understand what I’m reading?
- Do I care enough to seek understanding?
- What am I doing with what I do understand?
Moment to Moment (Bible blog) 