(Read Acts 9:26-31)
I trust you enjoyed your 4th of July weekend. We had a house full of people the entire weekend and it was awesome. Our son Joshua turned seven on Saturday and we had a great party. It’s been a few days since I wrote Today’s Word and I am ready to get back to it.
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to learn more about the amazing life of the Apostle Paul. When we last left off with his story Saul had caused so much trouble in Damascus and Jerusalem that the believers asked him to leave. He left for Tarsus, his home town. After Saul was gone, the Bible says, “The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.” It’s obvious that Saul was not in the will of God. He was called, but he was not ready. He was called to preach the Gospel, but he was not prepared. So Saul went away and spent about three years in a time of preparation before he could walk in the full measure of the call that was on his life.
I believe this is a good point to discuss the major difference between Moses, David and Paul; the three major authors of scripture I have chosen to highlight in this series. Moses and David are Old Testament Biblical characters. They came before Jesus and therefore, before the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was released and the New Testament church was birthed. While Moses and David both had major life altering moments — the burning bush for Moses and the anointing from the Prophet Samuel for David — for the most part, Moses and David were still the same people after their encounters with God. Moses left the burning bush passionate, but not completely changed. David left his encounter with Samuel and went right back to tending sheep. However, Paul’s encounter was completely different. While Moses and David were merely called, Paul was called and converted. Paul had been born among the Jewish elite, with access to the greatest Jewish scholars of his time. Paul had also been both a Roman citizen, with all the rights and privileges afforded him while the Jews were under the dominion of Rome. But while Paul was born Jewish and Roman, the day he had an encounter with the Lord on his way to Damascus, he was BORN-AGAIN! Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and his life would never be the same.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. Conversion is a life-changing experience. Moses and David were called by God to do what they did. We have already covered their lives in this series. But Paul was not just called, he was converted. Paul was Born-Again and once he was, he was no longer the same on the inside. Moses and David were altered, but Paul was completely changed. Paul was the greatest persecutor of the church one moment and he was ready to the greatest evangelist of the Gospel the next. I was Born-Again August 27, 1995 in a small chapel on Camp Doha, Kuwait. I will never forget that moment, because it was then that my life was changed forever. Once you hear the Gospel and you are convinced, convicted and converted, you will never be the same!
2. Plans change when you allow Jesus to be Lord of your life. Paul seemed like a very organized man so I am sure he had a life-plan. I am sure Paul could tell you where he expected to be in five, 10 and maybe even 20 years. He was a rising star within the Jewish elite and his dual citizenship (both Jewish and Roman) gave him unique privileges in a Roman controlled territory. However, all his plans went out the window the moment he was Born-Again. God’s plans usurped Paul’s plans and the same happened to me. I was 23 years old, thinking I had plans for my future, when the Lord got a hold of me. Once I was Born-Again the Lord started to reveal His plans to me and I submitted my will to His. Some may hear that and think you are losing something by giving up your plans for God’s plans. Believe me, God is not trying to take anything FROM you, He is trying to get His best TO you! He knows the end from the beginning so His plans will always be better than yours!
3. You might have been born one way, but you were Born-Again. I know you were born to whom you were, when you were and presumably why you were. You were raised with a set of values and norms that helped develop your character and attributes. God will use who you were, because He made plans for you before the foundations of the world. But when you are Born-Again the emphasis is no longer on how you were born, because God will help you to look past who you were born FROM and focus on who you were born INTO! Once you are Born-Again you are in Christ, Christ is in you, and the possibilities are endless. God wants to use you by Grace, not because you are so good; by Grace, not because your past is spotless; by Grace, not because your track record is flawless; it’s by Grace, because God wants the emphasis to be on Him and not you. Now that you are Born-Again, your past mistakes don’t even matter. If you will allow God, He will use you in ways that far exceed anything you can think or imagine. Not because you earned it, but because He planned to use you that way before the foundations of the world!
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for sending Jesus to die in my place. Jesus was born of a virgin, He lived a sinless life, He suffered, bled, died and rose from the dead with all power in His hands. Jesus also ascended into heaven and He is coming back to judge the living and the dead. Of Jesus’ Kingdom there shall be no end. I heard the gospel message of Jesus the Christ, I responded to the message, I accepted Jesus as Lord, and I was Born-Again. You changed me from the inside out. I am no longer the same person. I no longer have the same outlook. I no longer have the same plans. I no longer have the same character. I am NOT who I used to be. My old man died when I was Born-Again and I am now alive in Christ. The life that I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me. I have discarded my old plans and I have embraced Your plans for my life. I am not afraid of submitting my will to Yours, because Your plans for me will be much greater than anything I could ever come up with. I was born one way, but I have been Born-Again and I celebrate the newness of the life Christ Jesus died to give me. I am dead to self and alive to Christ. I am now free to be used of You mightily. Not because I deserve it, not because I somehow earned it, but only because of Your Grace. By Grace You use me to perform what You planned for me to do, before the foundations of the world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
