May 12, 2016

Life Events Change Us.

3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” -- Acts 9:3-6

Paul was never the same. He had persecuted Christians. He had held the coat of Stephen, the faith’s first martyr. He was looking for Christians he could take as prisoners.

Then Jesus met him on that road and Paul was never the same. He would live the rest of his life serving Jesus and preaching the gospel at great cost to himself.

Of course, we are not Paul and while I sure hope we’ve all met Jesus I doubt we’ll spend years in chains for Him. But we are changed by His Presence. Or we should be.

Just as we are changed by life events, some good and some bad. Scars, especially, mark us. We are forever different. Life becomes before and after.

Infidelity rocks a marriage and the people involved are forever different. One woman, who through counseling was able to forgive her husband and continue the marriage, admitted that it would never be the same. Trust is a precious thing. Once broken it never really returns.

Then there’s illness. There was life before cancer and then there is life after cancer. Things once taken for granted are now cherished. Days are seized with vigor because the fragility of life has become evident in a way that can never be changed.

Sometimes it is a job loss. There is the time before the lay offs hit and there is the time after. The longer the unemployment, the deeper the scars. We are taught that if you’re willing to work hard, you can always find a job. Learning that it isn’t true can be devastating.

Sometimes geography splits our lives. Sometimes it is family dynamics. I doubt anyone goes completely through life without some event derailing our plans and causing us to question who we are and what is really important.

That’s what happened on that road to Damascus. Paul met Jesus and he was never the same. We are all better for it. Paul wrote most of the New Testament. In his suffering, he still preached. He still taught. He still lived a life full of praise for his Lord and Savior.

We could learn from that. Life happens, sometimes leaving deep scars. But we can still live a life full of praise for Jesus because of all He has done for us.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Follow God’s Call

The Lord said, “God over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you arrive, ask for Saul of Tarsus. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying his hands on him so that he can see again.”

“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I’ve heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! And we hear that he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest every believer in Damascus.” -- Acts 9:11-14

Have you ever really not wanted to do something God has called you to do? Ananias could commiserate with you. God wanted Ananias to go to a man known for persecuting Jesus’ followers. Saul of Tarsus -- who became the Apostle Paul -- could easily order that Ananias be killed. Talk about quaking in your sandals!

But, as usual, God knew what He was doing. We don’t always understand His ways. Okay. Frequently we don’t understand His ways. But God calls us to trust Him and do what He says.

Most of us have heard the story of Jesus appearing to Saul as he walked along a road. Saul was blinded by a brilliant light from heaven. He was led to the house of Judas, where the Bible tells us he went without food and water for three days. I’m sure he prayed too. And God answered Saul’s prayers -- thought probably not in the way Saul would have expected.

We don’t think too much about Ananias. He is overshadowed by Paul’s ministry. A ministry that began when Ananias obeyed God. We tend to forget that part. Saul regained his sight because Ananias obeyed God. Saul was baptized because Ananias obeyed God. And Saul began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues because Ananias obeyed God.

Sometimes we don’t think too much of what we’re called to do for God. We want a big job. We want to do something profound, something everyone will know and see. But sometimes it’s those scary things that have the most lingering impact. Like telling someone about Jesus. Sometimes it’s the small things. Like keeping a couple of small children one afternoon so that their single mother can get a break. Or maybe it’s buying the lunch of the person behind you in line at the fast food restaurant.

Always, it’s following the call of God. Because He does know what He’s doing. And while we may not understand His motives in that moment, one day we will. Trust Him. And obey.