There is just so much time in a day. We can't do everything that presents itself as an opportunity to do something for God. We typically have a certain system for deciding what to do and who to see in any given day.

• If we are crisis oriented, then we will run around trying to put out all the fires. Nothing gets our attention until it is an emergency.
• If we are pleasure oriented, we will gravitate toward those things we enjoy doing. The only time we will do things we don't like is if we are forced to.
• If we are task oriented, we will only do those things we are assigned to do. We will have a schedule, a list of assignments, a check off list, and an order of priority. If it isn't on our agenda, it isn't going to be worked on.
• If we are relaxation oriented, we will only do what is forced on us. If it hasn't reached a life and death level, it will be put off until tomorrow or whenever.

God doesn't fit into our personality orientation. When He takes over our time, He is going to want us to be Spirit oriented. Whether it is a crisis, fun, on our schedule, or hard to accomplish; He wants us to do what He wants us to do. It is easy to see how important timing and being led by the Spirit were in the case of Philip and the eunuch.

Acts 8:5-8 (NIV) Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Christ there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the miraculous signs he did, they all paid close attention to what he said. With shrieks, evil spirits came out of many, and many paralytics and cripples were healed. So there was great joy in that city.

God wanted Philip in a certain city in Samaria. He was using Philip in a mighty way. It should be obvious that this was something that would continue for quite some time. However, God had other plans for Philip.

Philip immediately does what he is told. As he is going south on the desert road, he meets a man riding in a chariot heading for home. In other words, this is a time sensitive situation. Had Philip delayed for a while, he would have missed this appointment of God. Philip was already where God wanted him. Then, all of a sudden, he wasn't where God wanted him to be. Philip had been in a very dynamic place with the movement of God. The place wasn't a sinful place. It was a very spiritually positive place. Yet, God didn't want him there anymore.

Acts 8:29-38 (NIV) The Spirit told Philip, "Go to that chariot and stay near it." Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. "Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked. "How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?" So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so He did not open His mouth. In His humiliation He was deprived of justice. Who can speak of His descendants? For His life was taken from the earth." The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?" Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus. As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?" And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

The eunuch "just happened" to have a copy of Isaiah and "just happened" to be reading it. He "just happened" to be reading about Isaiah's prophecy concerning Jesus. The eunuch "just happened" to have a question as Philip "just happened" to come up beside the chariot. Philip had to have responded to God's will for his life prior to this moment. It wasn't a matter of resisting some sin or misdeed of the body.

There was water available just as the eunuch was ready to be baptized. Even though the chariot was moving all during Philip's presentation, the water was there at the right time. These are issues we often don't deal with as a Christian. But, these are issues that matter a lot to God. These are issues that have a tremendous affect on our amount of ministerial production.