Read the Bible in a Year (16NOV19)

DAILY REMINDER – Today, November 16’s Bible reading is Acts 9-10.

NEXT DAY REMINDER – Tomorrow, November 17’s Bible reading is Acts 11-13. May God bless you with the reading of His WORD.

 

ACTS MOMENT – (16NOV19) “As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ ‘Who are you, Lord?’ Saul asked. ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ he replied” (Acts 9:3-5). 

Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee and Jew by birth with Roman citizenship, also known by his Roman name of Paul, had been on a mission to rid the Jewish nation of those whom he considered as apostates to the Mosaic law. He had been present and in full support of Stephen’s stoning as the men laid their cloaks at his feet. He was the Christians’ bounty hunter, arresting officer, accuser, and by proxy their judge, jury, and executioner, for they were guilty by the mere fact of following the Way. He was a zealot who was committed to ensuring that every Jew far and wide upheld the traditions and teachings of Moses. Any threat to such was considered as blasphemous, and the penalty to be carried out would be nothing short of death should renunciation of this man, Jesus, not be made if offered. Saul, however, was not aware that Jesus was no ordinary man, but He was the Son of God whom he had been persecuting. Therefore, when Jesus spoke to Paul from Heaven and asked why he was persecuting Him, Jesus was letting Paul know that when he persecuted His followers, he was also guilty of persecuting Him. When speaking to the disciples about His departure, Jesus said: “They will put you out of the synagogue; in fact, the time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me” (John 16:2-3). Paul had been under the misconception that he was doing a work for God, but what he failed to realize at the time was that he was spiritually blind.

Immediately following the brief conversation with Jesus, on the road to Damascus, Paul had become temporarily blind. He was not able to continue the journey on his own but had to be led by the men who were with him into Damascus. This was symbolic of Paul’s spiritual state at the time. He had been on the wrong path and was in a temporary state of spiritual blindness until Jesus came to lead him in the right direction. For three days he was unable to see and did not eat nor drink anything until the Lord had a man name Ananias to restore his sight. Paul was then filled with the Holy Spirit and was baptized.

Paul’s story did not end there. There were those who remembered what he used to be, so they did not easily accept him as a brother of Christ at first. They were afraid of him until Barnabas gave testimony as to the change that Jesus did in his life. Only then did the apostles no longer fear him but embraced him as a fellow brother. This is similar to how many Christians act towards new converts even in today’s times. We tend to remember the person’s past indiscretions and judge them by what they used to do. Nevertheless, in this story, we can see that God quite often takes the worse of us and turn us into His masterpiece. The Bible says: “Then the word of the Lord came to me. He said, ‘Can I not do with you, Israel, as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel” (Jeremiah 18:5-6). God had told Jeremiah the prophet that He was the Potter and Israel was the clay in His hands to do with them as He so desired. In the same manner, Jesus took a marred Saul and turned him into a mighty vessel for His kingdom. Paul became a dedicated follower, teacher, preacher, martyr for Christ, and he has been credited with writing two-thirds of the New Testament. What miraculous change and powerful testimony in the life of Paul. Jesus is still taking the less than desirables to do a mighty work across the earth for His glory. It does not matter what your background is, what you have done in your past, what people say about you, or what failures you may have had in life. Jesus is able to change and use anyone who will fully submit to Him. The Bible says: “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Something to ponder….