When God is involved, we have every reason to embrace change and no reason to be afraid. When Saul was converted to the faith, he was at a crossroads. I mean literally he was at a crossroads, he was going from Jerusalem to Damascus to go arrest some Christ followers. He was in high spirits too. He had just successfully stoned to death Stephen and was doing his God given duty to eliminate the “Way.” This is when change begins to happen. Saul is struck by blindness by Jesus! But God’s stories never end so melodramatically. Not at all. In fact, Jesus says to Saul, get up and go wait for instructions at Damascus. If I were Saul, I would have ran the other way because the strange voice that struck you blind told you to go one way and everything within you would be saying, “oh no. It’s bad enough I’m blind, he’d kill me there if he had the chance.!” My spidey senses would have been crying afoul. My gut would have made me throw up and run in fear. This is what a call to change is like for many of us! Saul, on the other hand took a risk! He went and followed the instructions of the voice of God. He dared to change. Then he waited there until God had a conversation with a man named Ananias who was to give Saul further instructions. Let’s read: But the Lord said to Ananias, Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name. (Acts 9:15-16 NIV) Ananias is in this story for a reason. The reason is to set the tone of disbelief that people can actually change by the grace of God. If you read Ananias’ pep talk with God, he tries to tell God that Saul isn’t going to change by having his blindness healed. We all know this sentiment too well. We say this about our family members and the people at church. Sometimes this is exactly the argument people have with God about us when we drive them crazy. “Changing” in this story is twofold. The first is that when God is involved, we have every reason to embrace change and no reason to be afraid. Secondly, “change” is something we need to dare ourselves to do. Not only do we have to recognize it, but we have to describe it in our lives. Notice here, I said “describe it in our lives” and not in words. God will help us work that change within us and that’s the embrace we need to dare. What are some things that God might want us to embrace and change in our lives? Part 1 of the VBS quiet time series.
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