Acts 9: 1 Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers. So he went to the high priest. 2 He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking for their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them—both men and women—back to Jerusalem in chains.
3 As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him,
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied,
The conversion of Saul was one of the cornerstone moments in the life of the early church. How does a man go from killer of Christians to champion of the cause? Simple. God wanted Saul (who would be called Paul) to have a different legacy. God knew what kind of an impact that Paul could have and turned his life around.
He still does those things.
As long as your heart beats and your lungs are still taking in air...you can change or improve on the legacy that you will leave behind. God may not blind you on your way to work...but He will show you (through the nudging of the Holy Spirit) what you can do differently to leave a lasting Christ-centered footprint on the future. It doesn't matter what you've done in the past. It doesn't matter how your parents were. It doesn't make a difference how old you are... God sees your real potential...He wants to bring that out because you WILL impact those that are coming behind you. The question is do you want to impact them as Saul-like or Paul-like? I truly believe that your greatest times as a Christ-follower are ahead...and those that follow behind you will see THOSE years as your most powerful and effective.
If you are willing to re-commit to God's plan and God's direction for your life, your legacy will be one that wins people to Christ for long after you are enjoying the fruits of eternal life.
See you tomorrow,
Pastor Brian
1 comment:
Brian,
The truth of Christ's example of servanthood is sometimes hard for us to swallow. For many Christ followers we start off on our journey as servants because we are filled with zeal & the newness of this newfound peace within our lives. But like the parable of the 3 soils, we have to make decisions that will influence our daily walk with Christ. Some of us, like Saul have to get knocked off our high horse to reach our God potential. Jesus will continue to redirect us if we stay deeply connected to him through a dedicated prayer life, scripture reading & reflection, and serving. As I write this I am convicted because my impatience clouds my trust in his plan for me. It's really tough to start over in a new town and make a difference. The Holy Spirit tells me to make a diffence in my "home" church 1st.... I've only been separated from them for 6 months. Isn't 2 weeks enough time to get the home front situated God? Please continue to pray for me as I reorient myself to family life because God's ministry opportunities start when we wake up in the morning.
God never sleeps or slumbers!
Stan
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