I have appeared to you for
this purpose… —Acts 26:16
{CHAMBERS} “The vision Paul had on the road to Damascus was not a
passing emotional experience, but a vision that had very clear and emphatic
directions for him. And Paul stated, “I was not disobedient to the heavenly
vision” (Acts 26:19). Our Lord said to Paul, in effect, “Your whole life is to
be overpowered or subdued by Me; you are to have no end, no aim, and no purpose
but Mine.” And the Lord also says to us, “You did not choose Me, but I chose
you and appointed you that you should go…” (John 15:16). When we are born again,
if we are spiritual at all, we have visions of what Jesus wants us to be. […]
Paul was not given a message or a doctrine to proclaim. He was brought into a
vivid, personal, overpowering relationship with Jesus Christ. Acts 26:16 is
tremendously compelling “…to make you a minister and a witness….” […] He was
absolutely Jesus Christ’s. He saw nothing else and he lived for nothing else.
“For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him
crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).”
{ELGIN} How compelling is your faith? Is it compelling enough to change the way you
live, to abandon what you love, to yield your life fully to following
Jesus? People who met Jesus along the
way were intrigued by Him, but felt an obligation to their natural life. They did understand the significance of who
Jesus is. I almost type “was” but was
quickly reminded that Jesus is. (John 4:10) “Jesus answered her [ the
woman at the well] , “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you
for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living
water.” Jesus is – was – and always will be.
(John 1:1-5) “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him
nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the
light of all mankind. The light shines
in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” Some people wanted to
follow Jesus but felt an obligation to the natural .. Jesus told them to leave
it behind. Think about it. The disciples abandoned their families and livelihood. (Mark
1:16-18) “As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his
brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. “Come,
follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” At once they left their nets and followed him.”
Think about it. They were raised to be fishermen. It was their father’s business .. and would
be theirs. But they left it behind. Do you remember the story about Jesus, when
Mary and Joseph could not find him? (Luke 2:49) “I must be about my Father’s
business” Doing the will of His Father in heaven was his priority .. his
purpose. Jesus says the same thing to us. Perhaps you don’t need to physically abandon
your nets, but you are called to surrender your heart to Him. Matthew
22:37-39 are popular verses in local churches. Loving God and loving
people. I don’t think that most Christians
who read those words on the walls of their churches, give much thought to what that
means to them personally. How about
you? Our life in Christ is supposed to
be more than mental agreement with the rightness of the Word of God. (James
1:22) Be doers and not hearers only.
Think about it!
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