"Good-by"

During this morning's reading, a single small phrase stuck out to me. In Acts, 20, right at the beginning of the chapter, Paul is leaving Ephesus for Macedonia. There is nothing super-outstanding about this, since Paul is a traveler. He arrives and leaves nearly innumerable times. I think there can be a lesson found in just about every verse of the Word, though.

In this, verse 20, as he is leaving he says, "Good-by" (NIV). this is interesting to me because I do  not find myself using that language much. The language I use is much more temporary, and less significant. Paul is saying good-by to those he leaves because he realizes there may not be another meeting. He even spells this out later in the same chapter:

They all wept as the embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship. Acts 20:37-38

So, what kind of lesson can I take from this lingering verse? I suppose the old adage that you never know when it'll be "your time" rings true here. But more than that, I think I can be more intentional about what I do with my time and how I use it to impact who I visit with. the reality is that for the vast majority of the people in the world, we only see them once. One glance on the street, one short ride in the elevator, one discourse in the drive through. I know the idea sounds corny, but look at Paul! He used his time effectively. He made every single visit count because it would be his last, at least it was with the Ephesians in chapter 20. I'm going to be intentional today, will you?


Any thoughts?