Acts 9:11-16
I don't know about you, but there have
been a lot of times in my life where I think to myself, “God could
never use me after all that I've done, all I've been through, how
dirty and stained my life has been.” But the truth is, God doesn't
use perfect people. There are no perfect people. In fact, God
delights in using people that are weak, broken, stained, messed
up...because they could never take credit for it and the glory will
have to go back to Him. He doesn't care what you've done, where
you've been, where you are, He just wants to use you to bring fame to
His Name. There was a guy in the Bible named Saul. Saul was the
ultimate religious pharisee, and he hated Christians. He did
everything in his power to make sure the Christians could not spread
their message throughout the land, including severe persecution to
the point of murder. One day, Jesus appeared to Saul on a dirt road,
shining brighter than the sun, and Saul was blinded for three days.
In Acts 9, God speaks to a disciple named Ananias and tells him to go
pray for Saul to receive his vision once again. He protested because
he knew of the persecution, but God says in Acts 9:16, “Don't
argue. Go! I have picked him as my personal representative to
non-Jews and kings and Jews. And now I'm about to show him what he's
in for—the hard suffering that goes with this job.” God knew
Saul's past and present life, and yet He still CHOSE him to be His
personal representative on the earth. That's a pretty important job.
After this encounter, God changed Saul's name to Paul, and Paul
spread the Gospel all over the earth and wrote over two thirds of the
New Testament. We all know about Paul, and Paul had a story. Do you
really think God could use a murderer but He couldn't use you? God
wants to give you a new name and use you and your story to spread His
story. You just need a willing heart.
Challenge: Go before God and ask Him to
show you what He created you to do. Repent for believing the lies of
the enemy that say you aren't good enough. You are!
One Year Bible:
1 Kings 11:1-12:19
Acts 9:1-25
Psalms 131:1-3
Proverbs 17:4-5
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