Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Instrument of God


Acts 9


 

Please take the time to read about Saul's Conversion today in verses 1 – 19…I believe that Saul shows us that God will indeed use anybody including me and you!

I was touched this morning by verse 15…Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. God knew Saul's past, his present and his future…his future was to be God's instrument. In the past he had murdered people that were doing God's work and now he would be a leader in taking the message to the people. Wow, is God not the most amazing….

I just imagine the trust and faith that Ananias had to be able to go to this man called Saul. He knew what people said about Saul and for him to go into that home and perform God's miracle - he walked the talk. He lived the faith; he exemplified the faith and was obedient to God.

He went. He knew that God had a plan.

The plan was for Saul to communicate the gospel. Saul was selected. God tells us what to do with only assurance that it is just and for a good reason. Two men, two very different paths being used to communicate the gospel; one that was a believer without a miracle the other that needed a miracle to believe…. God is truly amazing. The eye for detail never ceases to amaze me. God is in to the details.

In verse 18 it tells us the scales that blinded Saul fell off. I had to look this up. I wondered is this like fish scales. Exactly what does this mean…well the original word was ~wseil~ which mean "as it had been". So the commentaries all believe that there was not a true scale on Saul's eyes. He was just in darkness. Just in darkness – can you imagine? A man with so much power who lived in such a dark world suddenly literally placed in a dark world for real!!! Wow….God wanted a miracle for Saul. He wanted absolutely no doubt in Saul's mind that God healed him. No questions allowed it was God. Saul was instantly healed and regained his sight.

I find this all so interesting that once again God used light and darkness ~ this time in a miracle that left little doubt about who Saul was going to be an instrument for in the future. What about us? Are we going to be His instrument in our dark world?

Be a light today!

Shining,

Debbie

1 comment:

Frankie said...

Debbie, I can't get over how much this story in Acts 9 means to me today. I have grown to love The Word more and more since we have been reading the One Year Chronological Bible (NLT) this year. As you mentioned how God is into the details, I was struck by the details in Saul's story this time.

In verses 19-20, Saul stayed with the very people, the believers, that he went to Damascus to persecute. We can see that they were obedient but I wonder if they were reluctant, like Ananias saying, "But Lord...." It says that Saul immediately began to preach about Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is indeed the Son of God!" Immediately, not when the time and place suited him, but immediately.

Thanks for the information about what "scales" meant. We are in darkness without Christ, because He is the Light of the world!