- 1)New Self-Romans 6
- 2)Obedience to God-John 14:15
- 3)Honoring Parents-Exodus 20:12, Colossians 3:20
Acts 9:1-19
Saul hated Jesus' followers. God met him in his travels (he was going to Damascus to take Jesus' followers prisoner) God flashed a great light and asked Saul "why are you persecuting Me?"
Wait...
I've heard something like this before..."Amanda, why are you hurting Me? Why are you disobeying Me?" Hmmm...boy that is enough to put a knife in your gut. God calling out your disobedience, your sin...All Powerful God asking why little 'ol me is hurting Hi?.
Are you beginning to see the picture???
Back to Saul and this question...
Saul must have been freaked out at the voice of Jesus because the guys who were with him "stood there speechless" (v. 7) Here was this guy looking to GET those followers of Jesus and he was on his knees before the voice of that very same Jesus. God told him to "get up...go to the city...you will be told what to do" (v.6). So the guys helped Saul up, but when he opened his eyes He couldn't see!
Hm...another Hold Up!!!
Boy oh boy does this sound familiar. After not obeying God, getting "called out" by Him and now you can't see. Has this ever happened to you? Being called out by Jesus on some sin or disobedience, on your knees in tears crying "I'm sorry Lord" and when you get up....there is no amazing revelation, there is no fireworks display of all the plans God has...there is nothing...not only is there nothing but you don't know anything that will happen...you feel blind...not knowing what the next step holds...not knowing where God will lead you next...feeling so helpless in your own abilities.
I have a incling why He does that...Hebrews 11:1. Sometimes God takes things away so that we rely on HIM instead of on ourselves. And I think that's what was happening with Saul...in order for him to receive Jesus...God had to break down Saul's pride so that He could reach his heart.
Back to the story...
Saul was blind for 3 days and he didn't eat or drink (v.9), he was so humbled that he could not stop praying to the Lord. A disciple (go figure) named Ananias was told by God to go to Saul because Saul had been praying (v.10-12). Ananias heard about Saul and what he wanted to do to God's people...so I'm sure he really thought God was crazy (v.13-14). But God told Ananias something in v.15 "This man is My chosen instrument..." v. 16 "I will show him how much he must suffer for My name"
Hang on...
Sometimes God doesn't tell us things directly. Here He is telling Ananias what His plans are for Saul...but He isn't directly telling Saul. God uses the body of Christ to guide us according to His Word. And sometimes when we get up from that "I'm sorry Lord" state...we aren't ready to hear God's plans for us...sometimes we need a few days to be "blind".
Lets see what happens...
Ananias went to where Saul was and he told him that God had sent him (v.17) and he placed his hands on Saul's eyes and Scales fell off
Picture here...
Scales fell off his eyes!!! Oh, dear friend...how many times do we have to remove scales from our eyes...how many times do we need to get rid of something in our lives in order to fully see Jesus...we can go through life so blinded and thinking we have rosy glasses...but God wants more for us...sometimes...something needs to "fall off" in order for us to see...
Lets look at the last thing...
Saul could see! (v.18) He didn't sit there...he got up! He went to follow the Lord in Baptism and he regained his strength right away. He knew he was weak from all that...he knew he needed to strengthen up.
How does this play into the other verses from above??
Well.
God showed me that we also need to "convert". Instead of being in our old self all the time...we need to put on our new self and ACT like it! Romans 6
And instead of trying to find what things we CAN obey in God's Word we just need to OBEY....because that is what people who love Jesus should want to do, OBEY HIM no matter what! So stop thinking you only need to obey half of the Word. Just take those scales off right now!!!! John 14:15
The REASON God tells us to obey our parents and honor them, isn't because they are just our parents and it isn't because our parents know more than we do, and it isn't because God wants us to be enslaved (SCALES)...it is because if we obey our parents...it is easier to obey God!
If we honor our parents, we in turn honor God.
One of the biggest things that makes me sick to my stomach is children, no matter what age, who dishonor their parents. The sad thing is...most of the people I know are Christians...adult Christians choosing to dishonor their parents. Yes, honor is different than obedience...but not because it ISN'T obedience...rather because it is so much MORE. I know many people who are willing to go to far off countries to spread God's Word, but they have fled from their parents. I also know people who have unsaved parents and they speak ill of them all the time. This cannot be honoring in God's eyes. I can't imagine that He is pleased with this.
I am a daughter. I am not a parent yet...so I can't write about what parents should do. But I know from experience that obedience NEVER is a bad idea!!! (I hope I don't have to point out the obvious things like..."as long as your parents don't tell you to kill anyone"...Come on people...use logic...God wants you to obey your parents as long as it doesn't go against His Word...I should not have to point that one out.)
Obedience is what God's children are called to do. Do you obey?
