Who are you?
Most miraculous moments in the Bible happen because of a request, but there is an interesting moment in Acts 9 where Jesus introduced himself to a man in such a way that it changed his entire life without his permission. Saul had been travelling to a town called Demascus to capture Christians when he was stricken down by the voice of GOD. All he could bring himself to say was "who are you Lord?"
Saul, a man who was known in Christian history as the one who was zealous in persecuting anyone who declared Jesus to be the savior, was blinded and confounded by that same Jesus. Saul thought that he knew who God was, but found out that he didn't know GOD at all. Sometimes in all of the Christian culture, we get so wrapped up in our own identity that we forget that we should be chasing after that for which we were apprehended (see Phillipians 3:12). I encourage you and even dare you, Christian or not, to ask the question that changes a life of self importance to a life of purpose. Ask, "who are you Lord?"
That question has been reverberating in my heart, and it causes me to face my ignorance and challenge my faith. I am being forced to put away all assumptions and suspicions of who God is and allow God to show himself to me how he wants to. I have to admit it has been a hard couple of months for my family, but God has been showing himself strong, loving, and wise. Strong, that is one characteristic that God is proving in my life right now. God has told the weather what to do and it obeyed, has made people give me exactly what I needed and solved problems that I didn't even know were coming. This past month especially, I have been powerless concerning many situations, but his strength has been made perfect in my weakness( see 2 Corinthians 12:9). In my heart I am constantly asking God who he is, and he is consistently showing me who he is.
One thing I love about this relationship that I have with God is that when I talk to him he talks back to me through scripture, through people, and even in my own heart. Be ready, because if you ask God who he is sincerely, he will answer. In this conversation God has in return also asked me a question. "Who do you say that I am?" Right now I all that I know is that there is no one like GOD and that he is for me. When life goes the way that I want or not, God is for me. When the whole world turns upside down, God is still for me. When I am sad, angry, tired, disappointed, embarrassed, or ashamed, GOD is for me. I am so glad that I get to spend the rest of this life and then eternity getting to know GOD. The more he shows me, the more I am changed for the better. I pray that you too will ask "who are you LORD?" I pray that we all get to know who GOD is.
In case you are unfamiliar with the story of Saul, he was sent on to Demascus and was healed by the prophet Ananias at the LORD's request. From there Saul underwent the transition from a persecuter of Christians to an Apostle of Jesus Christ whose name became Paul. This Paul GOD used to write the majority of the new testament books of the Bible including Phillipians, Corinthians, and Romans. GOD even in striking Paul down, did it to correct the course of his life and bring him into relationship with Jesus Christ. How awesome that GOD works all things out for the good of them that love him and are called by him (See Romans 8:28).
Saul, a man who was known in Christian history as the one who was zealous in persecuting anyone who declared Jesus to be the savior, was blinded and confounded by that same Jesus. Saul thought that he knew who God was, but found out that he didn't know GOD at all. Sometimes in all of the Christian culture, we get so wrapped up in our own identity that we forget that we should be chasing after that for which we were apprehended (see Phillipians 3:12). I encourage you and even dare you, Christian or not, to ask the question that changes a life of self importance to a life of purpose. Ask, "who are you Lord?"
That question has been reverberating in my heart, and it causes me to face my ignorance and challenge my faith. I am being forced to put away all assumptions and suspicions of who God is and allow God to show himself to me how he wants to. I have to admit it has been a hard couple of months for my family, but God has been showing himself strong, loving, and wise. Strong, that is one characteristic that God is proving in my life right now. God has told the weather what to do and it obeyed, has made people give me exactly what I needed and solved problems that I didn't even know were coming. This past month especially, I have been powerless concerning many situations, but his strength has been made perfect in my weakness( see 2 Corinthians 12:9). In my heart I am constantly asking God who he is, and he is consistently showing me who he is.
One thing I love about this relationship that I have with God is that when I talk to him he talks back to me through scripture, through people, and even in my own heart. Be ready, because if you ask God who he is sincerely, he will answer. In this conversation God has in return also asked me a question. "Who do you say that I am?" Right now I all that I know is that there is no one like GOD and that he is for me. When life goes the way that I want or not, God is for me. When the whole world turns upside down, God is still for me. When I am sad, angry, tired, disappointed, embarrassed, or ashamed, GOD is for me. I am so glad that I get to spend the rest of this life and then eternity getting to know GOD. The more he shows me, the more I am changed for the better. I pray that you too will ask "who are you LORD?" I pray that we all get to know who GOD is.
In case you are unfamiliar with the story of Saul, he was sent on to Demascus and was healed by the prophet Ananias at the LORD's request. From there Saul underwent the transition from a persecuter of Christians to an Apostle of Jesus Christ whose name became Paul. This Paul GOD used to write the majority of the new testament books of the Bible including Phillipians, Corinthians, and Romans. GOD even in striking Paul down, did it to correct the course of his life and bring him into relationship with Jesus Christ. How awesome that GOD works all things out for the good of them that love him and are called by him (See Romans 8:28).
Comments
Post a Comment