March 31: Following His Guidance.
HIS RECLAMATION.
"Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles."--Acts 22:21
I like the term reclamation. It means to recover something that was considered waste in order to put it to a good use. Many of us, having made wrong choices or taken the wrong path, have gone through times of spiritual reclamation. God doesn't abandon us, even when we make wild decisions and take crazy detours. Furthermore, God can turn our mistakes into purpose and use our brokenness for His glory. And all of this is possible because, on the cross, Jesus paid for our transgressions and iniquities, and, in addition, he purchased the right to bless us with healing and peace (see Isaiah 53:5).
The Bible does not skip over the dark times of the heroes of faith. On the contrary, it gives detailed accounts of their failures, which is one of the pointers to the inspired truthfulness of the Bible, written not to boost the egos of men, but to highlight the power of God's love and grace. The conversion of the apostle Paul (previously Saul) is narrated three times in the book of Acts (Acts 9; 22; 26). In Acts 22 and 26, Luke records Paul's own words and testimony. What is amazing to me is that Paul never sugarcoats his own story. He doesn't hide his detours or his bloodthirsty religious practices. When he speaks in front of the Jews in Jerusalem, he really tells it like it was: "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons....And when the blood of...Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him" (Acts 22:4, 20). Paul could have lived the rest of his life in seclusion and shame due to the atrocious things he had done. But God had reclaimed his life, providing a new purpose for him, and his previous life became part of his testimony about God's grace in his life. He now had a calling: to preach Jesus to the Gentiles! (verse 21). The gospel teaches us that the blood of Jesus paid for our sins and shame in full. Through His sacrifice, He provided salvation and a new life for us that has purpose and meaning. No need to hide! Go and tell of God's amazing grace and guidance in your life!
My Response:____________________________________________________
HIS RECLAMATION.
"Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles."--Acts 22:21
I like the term reclamation. It means to recover something that was considered waste in order to put it to a good use. Many of us, having made wrong choices or taken the wrong path, have gone through times of spiritual reclamation. God doesn't abandon us, even when we make wild decisions and take crazy detours. Furthermore, God can turn our mistakes into purpose and use our brokenness for His glory. And all of this is possible because, on the cross, Jesus paid for our transgressions and iniquities, and, in addition, he purchased the right to bless us with healing and peace (see Isaiah 53:5).
The Bible does not skip over the dark times of the heroes of faith. On the contrary, it gives detailed accounts of their failures, which is one of the pointers to the inspired truthfulness of the Bible, written not to boost the egos of men, but to highlight the power of God's love and grace. The conversion of the apostle Paul (previously Saul) is narrated three times in the book of Acts (Acts 9; 22; 26). In Acts 22 and 26, Luke records Paul's own words and testimony. What is amazing to me is that Paul never sugarcoats his own story. He doesn't hide his detours or his bloodthirsty religious practices. When he speaks in front of the Jews in Jerusalem, he really tells it like it was: "I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and putting both men and women into prisons....And when the blood of...Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him" (Acts 22:4, 20). Paul could have lived the rest of his life in seclusion and shame due to the atrocious things he had done. But God had reclaimed his life, providing a new purpose for him, and his previous life became part of his testimony about God's grace in his life. He now had a calling: to preach Jesus to the Gentiles! (verse 21). The gospel teaches us that the blood of Jesus paid for our sins and shame in full. Through His sacrifice, He provided salvation and a new life for us that has purpose and meaning. No need to hide! Go and tell of God's amazing grace and guidance in your life!
My Response:____________________________________________________
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