Acts 26:16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.
Oh Friends, it’s supposed to be another beautiful day in my area, but whether it’s fair or foul weather in our area, we all still have to get up and get on with the program designed for our lives. Like the mailman, we can’t let rain, sleet or snow prevent us from being what the Lord has called us to do and be. Yes, it’s not always enjoyable or easy, but it must be done. And I have the perfect quote for that risky situation. It’s attributed to the French writer, (Angela) Anais Nin (1903-77) and it says: ‘And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.’ Now isn’t that the living truth mih people? Many times during the course of our lives, it’s easier to step up to a new level, or step out to something greater because staying where we are, like a bud on a stem, gets to be too tight, restrictive and strenuous, keeping us in too close quarters when what we really need is more freedom to expand and show forth our wares. It’s similar to when the bud finally opens, blossoms into a beautiful flower, or a caterpillar breaks through its worm-like confines and contrary to all expectations, emerges a beautiful butterfly. Even so, at times we humans need to break out of our seemingly safe but tight and uncomfortable quarters and showcase our God given abilities and talents to an ungodly, disbelieving world. And Today’s Bit highlights just such a time in Bruh Paul’s life. Friends, they are the words Jesus spoke to Bruh Paul after striking him down on the journey to Damascus. What a bam-bam that must have been! Imagine a group of you quietly walking down the road to Damascus and all of a sudden a bright light appears, one ‘above the brightness of the sun,’ and knocks you all down to the ground. Then while lying there in a sort of subconscious mode, you hear this voice talking to you in your own language, accusing you of persecution. ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, spiked sticks).’ (Acts 26:14)And when you ask the person’s identity, you’re told" ‘I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Acts 26:15) Imagine the consternation nuh, both our own and Bruh Paul’s! Can you picture Bruh Paul lying on the ground blind, the flower of Jewish society, wealthy and well educated, pompously going around punishing and persecuting members of this new sect that was throwing up dogma contrary to the old Jewish belief system, now stricken by that same Being, whose name and followers he’s trying to eradicate. I’m sure if you’d asked Bruh Paul five minutes before about the possibility of such an incident occurring, he would have laughed you to scorn since it ran counter to all his beliefs. Consider the jumbled, confused state his mind must have been in. Then to make matters worse, that authoritative voice confidently directs him: ‘But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear (reveal) unto thee.’ Wow! He was changed from being a persecutor to a minister and witness in the twinkling of an eye. Oh Friends, that’s one of the many varied and mysterious ways our God works. Sometimes it’s an eye-catching, dramatic moment, while at others it can be a long, drawn out, secret process. I can vouch for His mysterious workings, re my writing this Scrip-Bit, though in my case it was a quiet suggestion, then stronger nudges as I kept doubting His wisdom while finding excuses why I couldn’t do it. And why the differences in approach to Bruh Paul and I? I guess I wasn’t a threat to Him, wasn’t deliberately trying to turn others away from Him, while Bruh Paul was a very active and successful enemy agent. The Lord didn’t need to do anything dramatic to get my attention cause I was already a believer, just in a sort of dormant mode, but Bruh Paul with all his opposing notions needed a real shock to knock his socks off, something scary, an out of this world type of experience to bring him to the truth. And that’s exactly what the Lord did. And from the very beginning mih people, Bruh Paul earned and deserves plenty kudos, for he never once questioned, wavered from or doubted the voice and its instructions. That was his moment of change, of transfiguration, when he blossomed from a tightly closed bud to a beautiful opened flower, from a creepy crawling caterpillar to a soaring, spectacular butterfly. And to further show how Bruh Paul was full of manly parts, had plenty belly and backbone, consider his twin dilemmas; first, the Lord planned to incorporate him into the same group that he so avidly disliked and persecuted. Just think about the fear and distrust that would breed nuh. But hear the worse part: ‘Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee; To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified (set apart) by faith that is in me.’ (Acts 29:17-18) Friends can you imagine how hard it must have been for a young, wealthy, well educated scion of a prominent Jewish family to go and dwell amongst and preach to the Gentiles, after having persecuted his own people for holding those same unconventional beliefs that he was now mouthing. But the magic of Bruh Paul is that whatever he believed in, he did zealously. And from the first moment Jesus chose him to be His witness, he never doubted or turned back. Instead he went on to be the star performer of early Christianity, explaining its doctrine in his many writings, many of them from jail, starting churches and spreading the Word all over the then known world, faithfully suffering endless persecution in Christ’s name without complaining. What can I say Friends? It’s just another example of when the Lord calls us to do His will, we ought not to doubt and dilly-dally. He won’t call us unless it’s necessary and we can do it. Most importantly, He will always help and guide us in doing whatever it is to further His kingdom and glorify His Holy Name. It might not be anything big and dramatic like Bruh Paul’s conversion, or even like my writing the Bit, but even if it’s the smallest, simplest request that won’t have all that much impact, please remember that God’s plans are all perfectly dovetailed, fit together perfectly, without need for cement or nails, so if He asks, then it is necessary. And the best response is to immediately ask, ‘How high do you want me to jump Lord?’ (smile) That will surely put a smile on the Lord’s face, for it shows we’re ready to blossom and heavenly rewards will be doled out and stored in our name. Much LOVE!…when the Lord calls…all that matters is our obedience…
Oh Friends, it’s supposed to be another beautiful day in my area, but whether it’s fair or foul weather in our area, we all still have to get up and get on with the program designed for our lives. Like the mailman, we can’t let rain, sleet or snow prevent us from being what the Lord has called us to do and be. Yes, it’s not always enjoyable or easy, but it must be done. And I have the perfect quote for that risky situation. It’s attributed to the French writer, (Angela) Anais Nin (1903-77) and it says: ‘And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.’ Now isn’t that the living truth mih people? Many times during the course of our lives, it’s easier to step up to a new level, or step out to something greater because staying where we are, like a bud on a stem, gets to be too tight, restrictive and strenuous, keeping us in too close quarters when what we really need is more freedom to expand and show forth our wares. It’s similar to when the bud finally opens, blossoms into a beautiful flower, or a caterpillar breaks through its worm-like confines and contrary to all expectations, emerges a beautiful butterfly. Even so, at times we humans need to break out of our seemingly safe but tight and uncomfortable quarters and showcase our God given abilities and talents to an ungodly, disbelieving world. And Today’s Bit highlights just such a time in Bruh Paul’s life. Friends, they are the words Jesus spoke to Bruh Paul after striking him down on the journey to Damascus. What a bam-bam that must have been! Imagine a group of you quietly walking down the road to Damascus and all of a sudden a bright light appears, one ‘above the brightness of the sun,’ and knocks you all down to the ground. Then while lying there in a sort of subconscious mode, you hear this voice talking to you in your own language, accusing you of persecution. ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, spiked sticks).’ (Acts 26:14)And when you ask the person’s identity, you’re told" ‘I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. (Acts 26:15) Imagine the consternation nuh, both our own and Bruh Paul’s! Can you picture Bruh Paul lying on the ground blind, the flower of Jewish society, wealthy and well educated, pompously going around punishing and persecuting members of this new sect that was throwing up dogma contrary to the old Jewish belief system, now stricken by that same Being, whose name and followers he’s trying to eradicate. I’m sure if you’d asked Bruh Paul five minutes before about the possibility of such an incident occurring, he would have laughed you to scorn since it ran counter to all his beliefs. Consider the jumbled, confused state his mind must have been in. Then to make matters worse, that authoritative voice confidently directs him: ‘But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear (reveal) unto thee.’ Wow! He was changed from being a persecutor to a minister and witness in the twinkling of an eye. Oh Friends, that’s one of the many varied and mysterious ways our God works. Sometimes it’s an eye-catching, dramatic moment, while at others it can be a long, drawn out, secret process. I can vouch for His mysterious workings, re my writing this Scrip-Bit, though in my case it was a quiet suggestion, then stronger nudges as I kept doubting His wisdom while finding excuses why I couldn’t do it. And why the differences in approach to Bruh Paul and I? I guess I wasn’t a threat to Him, wasn’t deliberately trying to turn others away from Him, while Bruh Paul was a very active and successful enemy agent. The Lord didn’t need to do anything dramatic to get my attention cause I was already a believer, just in a sort of dormant mode, but Bruh Paul with all his opposing notions needed a real shock to knock his socks off, something scary, an out of this world type of experience to bring him to the truth. And that’s exactly what the Lord did. And from the very beginning mih people, Bruh Paul earned and deserves plenty kudos, for he never once questioned, wavered from or doubted the voice and its instructions. That was his moment of change, of transfiguration, when he blossomed from a tightly closed bud to a beautiful opened flower, from a creepy crawling caterpillar to a soaring, spectacular butterfly. And to further show how Bruh Paul was full of manly parts, had plenty belly and backbone, consider his twin dilemmas; first, the Lord planned to incorporate him into the same group that he so avidly disliked and persecuted. Just think about the fear and distrust that would breed nuh. But hear the worse part: ‘Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee; To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto the power of God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified (set apart) by faith that is in me.’ (Acts 29:17-18) Friends can you imagine how hard it must have been for a young, wealthy, well educated scion of a prominent Jewish family to go and dwell amongst and preach to the Gentiles, after having persecuted his own people for holding those same unconventional beliefs that he was now mouthing. But the magic of Bruh Paul is that whatever he believed in, he did zealously. And from the first moment Jesus chose him to be His witness, he never doubted or turned back. Instead he went on to be the star performer of early Christianity, explaining its doctrine in his many writings, many of them from jail, starting churches and spreading the Word all over the then known world, faithfully suffering endless persecution in Christ’s name without complaining. What can I say Friends? It’s just another example of when the Lord calls us to do His will, we ought not to doubt and dilly-dally. He won’t call us unless it’s necessary and we can do it. Most importantly, He will always help and guide us in doing whatever it is to further His kingdom and glorify His Holy Name. It might not be anything big and dramatic like Bruh Paul’s conversion, or even like my writing the Bit, but even if it’s the smallest, simplest request that won’t have all that much impact, please remember that God’s plans are all perfectly dovetailed, fit together perfectly, without need for cement or nails, so if He asks, then it is necessary. And the best response is to immediately ask, ‘How high do you want me to jump Lord?’ (smile) That will surely put a smile on the Lord’s face, for it shows we’re ready to blossom and heavenly rewards will be doled out and stored in our name. Much LOVE!…when the Lord calls…all that matters is our obedience…
SCRIP-BITS 