JESUS SPEAKING

            “While thus occupied, as I journeyed to Damascus with authority from the chief priests, at midday, O king, along the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.  And when we all had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me and saying in Hebrew language, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’

            “So I said, ‘Who are you, Lord?’  And he said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  But rise and stand on your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to make you a minister and a witness both of the things which you have seen and of the things which I will yet reveal to you.  I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me’” (Acts 26: 12-18.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Paul (formerly known as Saul) is before Herod Agrippa recounting the testimony of his conversion many years earlier.  His recounting of the event begins with ‘while thus occupied.’  Occupied with what one might ask.  Paul was a Jewish Zealot who was given the task of persecuting any Jews who professed to believe in the resurrected Jesus Christ.  He had been going from city to city putting down the Christian movement by any means necessary, having been given the authority of the Sanhedrin (The Jewish Counsel.)

            He tells about how Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and called him Saul, which was his name prior to being converted.  Jesus asked him why he was persecuting him, and then added the statement, ‘it is hard for you to kick against the goads.’  What is a goad?  A goad was a tool used to stop oxen from trying to kick themselves free of the heavy plows they pulled behind them.  The goads consisted of sharpened metal pieces attached to the plows that would stab the ox in the feet if it kicked at the plow with its hind legs.  The harder the ox kicked, the more pain it would feel.  Apparently Paul had been desperately trying to kick himself free from believing in the risen Lord, but it had been causing him pain, just like the oxen who desired to be freed from pulling their plows. 

            There was a purpose for the meeting between Jesus and Paul.  Jesus gave him a command.  He told him to witness and testify about their meeting to the gentiles (a gentile is anyone who is not Jewish.)  Paul saw the gentiles as being inferior.  He now had the authority of God, and his new task was to bring the gospel message to them.  God’s desire was to reconcile all people to Himself; not just the Jews.  God’s decision to choose Paul for this important mission reveals to us something about God.  He chose a murderer, full of hatred toward His son to be one of the greatest witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  A man killing Christians becomes one of their leaders.   Paul then changes his name from Saul to Paul to symbolize his conversion from a murderer to a messenger of life; he went on to write the majority of the letters in the New Testament.  God used Paul to bring his message of reconciliation to much of the ancient world.  When God does something he makes sure to use people in a way that defies human understanding; He completes His work often with ‘no-bodies;’ with ‘throw-a-ways;’ with ‘cast-offs,’ so that there is never any confusion as to who gets the credit for the miracles.

            Many of you remember a little boy named David.  In the Old Testament, the philistines and Israelites had come into formation and were getting ready to do battle.  A giant named Goliath stood taunting the Israelites, asking them to send warriors to fight him in the open plain that separated the two armies.  David, a little boy, having faith in God, went out to meet him with nothing more than a sling and some rocks.  Goliath laughed and then came at David, and with one shot from the sling he struck Goliath in the head, and killed him.  Why did God use a boy to defeat a giant?  So that everyone would know that it wasn’t a boy that killed Goliath, and it wasn’t a Rock that killed him.  Goliath didn’t make a mistake and trip and fall, and it wasn’t luck either.  He used a boy so everyone would see it was God who killed the giant.  God used Paul because outside of God’s divine intervention there is no way a man who was killing Christians would suddenly become one of them.

            Today, you may be a person who says, “How can God use me?” or perhaps, “Why would God use me?”  A better question is, “when will God use me?”  Humans don’t do miracles; they have to be willing to let God use them to perform His miracles.  Has God performed a miracle in your life, like he did in Paul’s life?  If He hasn’t, you have that chance right now.  If you are willing to stop ‘kicking against the goads’ God is reaching out to you; if you are willing to receive His call and carry His message to those he sends you too.  Asking God to be the Lord of your life is very easy.  Go in to a quiet place and say, “Father, I want you to be the Lord of my life.  I believe that you died for me.  I believe that you rose from the dead, and I believe that you are coming again.  I want eternal life, and I want to be a part of your kingdom.  I ask you give me your Holy Spirit now.  Come in to my heart, and come in to my life; in Jesus Christ’s name, amen.”  If you prayed this prayer, the angels are rejoicing in heaven for the decision you made.  You now have a future and a hope, and the miracle has only just begun.

JESUS SPEAKING

            Jesus had just finished speaking to a rich man who had come to him to ask him a question; “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?”  The rich man claimed he had been faithful in keeping all of the commandments, but Jesus told him he lacked one thing; he needed to sell all that he had and give it to the poor and then come and follow him.  This was too much for the rich man to concede and he left very sad.  The scripture below is what followed.

 

            Then Peter said, “See, we have left all and followed  you.”

            So he said to them, “Assuredly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom  of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come eternal life” (Luke 18: 29.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Peter draws attention to the fact that he and his fellow believers had left everything to follow Jesus.  Jesus replied to this declaration with a promise.  He promised not just to replace what they had sacrificed, but to return it in abundance (more than what was laid down.)  There was a stipulation placed on the rewards; just giving things up wasn’t sufficient; the sacrifices had to be made for the sake of the kingdom of God.  There were also two kinds of rewards; the rewards provided for them in the present time (their lives upon the earth; not necessarily material in nature) and the rewards coming to them after their deaths (eternal life with God.)

            Jesus runs down a list of things that many people placed before God.  Many people refused to sell their homes and go out in to the ministry field with Jesus because they made their homes the most important thing in their lives; for some it was their parents, for some, their brothers, for some, their wives, and for still others, it was their children.  There are priorities in life, and everyone has something in the top spot, and whatever is in that top spot set’s the limitations on all of the other priorities.  In one portion of scripture a disciple said to Jesus when faced with leaving everything to follow him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father;” to which Jesus replied, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”  Another example was the rich young man who refused to sell all of his possessions and follow Jesus; he had placed his wealth first, and because of this, he walked away sad, choosing to keep his wealth.  The man was a servant to his wealth.  Those who put God first find that their wealth actually begins to serve God.  Everyone serves the number one priority in their lives.  There are very basic needs that most people think of as essential priorities.  For instance, food, water, and clothing seem to be of utmost importance; yet let’s examine what type of priority Jesus places on these things; “Therefore do not worry, saying ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For after all these things the gentiles seek.  For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.  But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mathew 6: 31-33.)  For those who are following Jesus, the number one priority must be God.

            I asked a man ounce who claimed to believe in Jesus, how much time he spent brushing his teeth in the morning and at night.  Apparently his daily tooth care composed about 4-5 minutes.  Then I asked him how much time he spent reading the bible, and he replied, “0.”  I said, “Then it is safe to say, that in your life, your teeth are more important than God?”  He conceded this to be the case.  A person who spends a lifetime putting God off will, in the end, be put off by God.

            Today, in our lives, God must come first.  He has to be the number one thing and everything else has to come in second.  Yes, sacrifices are necessary to make this happen.  Selling all your possessions is not necessarily what he is asking, but he is asking to come before those possessions.  If a man has wealth in the place where God should be, he has to sacrifice his love for wealth and replace it with his love for God.  Yet, not everyone has placed wealth above God.  Many have placed family, loved ones, children, time, possessions, freedom, recreation, sleep, drugs or alcohol, a job, a car, a house, land, education, and the list goes on and on.  We can place God first if we are willing to let go of whatever it is we are serving and turn to serve him.

            “Lord Heavenly Father, help us to sacrifice those things that are getting in the way of our service to You.  Help us to place You first and to not be afraid to make changes in our lives.  Please be the number one priority in our lives; be the thing we love most in our hearts.  We love You Father, we praise You, and we look forward to Your Coming Kingdom.  We praise You, we thank You, and we love You, and we ask all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”  God bless all of you.

JESUS SPEAKING

             Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:  “Father, the hour has come.  Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.  And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.  I have glorified You on the earth.  I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17: 1-4.)

INSPIRED THOUGHTS

            Throughout the ministry of Jesus Christ, he continually referred to an hour; a time that had not yet come.  None of his disciples knew what he was referring to in this scripture; it wasn’t until after his resurrection that they understood he was speaking about his crucifixion.  Jesus accomplished all of his works; the healings, the miracles, but his greatest work would be the cross; he is looking to God to raise him up to a place of honor.  Jesus says, “and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”  The cross tells us about God; the cross is an invitation; a love-letter sent out to every human being, inviting them to fall in love with the creator of all things.  Have you accepted that invitation? 

             As an oil painter, when I paint I don’t paint only for my own pleasure, but I am always keeping in mind those who will see the painting when it is finished.  Every sculptor who sculpts a masterpiece, doesn’t put it in a storage locker when he completes it; rather, he puts it on a pedestal, or places it on display in a museum, or in the center of some fountain in a city square.  I assure you that the man responsible for designing the statue of liberty was very motivated to please those in the future who would lay their eyes upon ‘lady liberty.’  All of the millions that would see her arms, her face, her wide stance, her crown, and her flowing robes would undoubtedly be admiring the man who designed her.

             When the Hubble space telescope captured the first images of the distant Galaxies, with their beautiful colors, nebulae, and gas clouds large enough to swallow the sun, we saw first hand, some of God’s creation.  When the electron microscope was pointed into a cell, we discovered that it was more complex than the space shuttle.  When we see a brand new baby most don’t realize they began as a single cell, no bigger than the period at the end of a sentence; all of the information on how to build your dad, your grandmother, your son or daughter, was held within that single cell; a genetic blueprint from which even you were formed.  God created those blueprints.  Yet, within this enormous universe, out of every work ever displayed, Jesus Christ upon the cross is God’s masterpiece.  We can still look to that masterpiece today and admire God.  He loves us, and his work of love was accomplished by way of the crucifix.

             “Lord Heavenly Father, we praise You.  Your work upon the cross is what we look too, and we see Your glory, and we thank You.  Father, continue to help us to look to You in love.  Help us to pick up our crosses so that others would see Your Glory in our sacrifice as well.  We love You Father, and we ask and pray all of these things in Jesus Christ’s name.  Amen.”