Thought of the Day !!

     As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. [Saul] fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

     "Who are you, lord?" Saul asked.

     And the voice replied, "I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

                                     Acts 9:3-6 (NLT)

Saul was shone the light (literally) in a fascinating way.  Leaders are called everyday, but don’t pay attention.  I believe it’s because we don’t really think that God would call us.  But if God will call a man such as Saul, He’ll call anyone.

Odds are that He’s not going to blind you with a powerful light like in Saul’s case.  But maybe this is because most of us are already blind.  We might be saved, but in many ways we’re just as lost as a child meandering through the mall looking for a parent.  What I mean by this is that we’re lost (or blind) to God’s plan for us (and He does have a plan for each one of us).  

     Now there was a believer in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him in a vision, calling, "Ananias!"

     "Yes, Lord!" he replied.

     The Lord said, "Go over to Straight Street, to the house of Judas. When you get there, ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying to me right now. I have shown him a vision of a man named Ananias coming in and laying hands on him so he can see again."

     "But Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I've heard many people talk about the terrible things this man has done to the believers* in Jerusalem! And he is authorized by the leading priests to arrest everyone who calls upon your name."

                                    Acts 9:10-14 (NLT)

We make excuses…just like Ananias.  He was afraid because he knew this was a dangerous situation and that this Saul fellow was a dangerous dude.

We can use fear as an excuse not to go where God is calling us just like Ananias.  Yes, some things we’re called to do are dangerous.  They might require us to be around unsavory characters and unsavory places.  It will definitely mean getting out of our comfort zones.  But what if nobody goes?  God’s plan of salvation and His plan of caring for the poor and needy will never come to fruition.  And many will die without ever knowing Jesus because everybody was scared to bring Him to them.

There are other excuses like I have no time, or I’m not qualified, or I don’t have enough money, etc.  But if God really wants us to do something, will He not have a plan for it’s success like he did for Ananias?

In the love of Christ,

greg