Try Jesus!Speaker: Dr. D.G.S. Dhinakaran Gist: When we accept the Lord and invite Him to come into our hearts and lives, He will come and dwell in us and with us. He will never leave us. He will honour us and grant us new life. After Jesus rose from the dead and was taken up to heaven, His disciples set out to preach the good news, baptized those who believed in Jesus in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Many began to accept Jesus and began to follow Him.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees became alarmed at the people who followed Jesus and thought of putting an end to those who followed Jesus. Growing up in a Jewish family meant that Saul was well trained in the Jewish Scriptures and tradition (Acts 26:4-8; Philippians 3:5,6) beginning in the home with the celebration of the Jewish holy days. He detested those who followed Christ and so he asked permission of the Jewish council to permit him to go and bring those who followed Jesus as prisoners to Jerusalem. He journeyed towards Damascus to kill those who believed in the risen Lord and to bring men and women as prisoners to the city of Jerusalem.
On his way to Damascus, Saul encountered a supernatural experience. When he came near the city suddenly a bright light shone around him from heaven. Unable to bear the bright light, fell to the ground. He heard a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" Without his knowledge he said, "Who are You, Lord?" Then the Lord said to him, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads." He trembled hearing what the Lord said and he replied, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" The Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do" (Acts 9:3-6).
There was a change in him and he offered himself for the Lord's service. He who detested Christ and tortured His followers began to preach and proclaim that Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and confounded the Jews who dwelt in the land of Damascus (Acts 9:20-22).
Saul was able to proclaim Christ Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the Living God, because he surrendered himself to Jesus completely. He accepted Christ and gave place in his heart to Jesus and invited Him to come into his life and to transform him. When Christ entered his life, Saul was changed to Paul who became an outstanding missionary and writer of the early church.
He wrote, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).
I came across an incident about a certain salesman mentioned in a book named 'How to live Forgetful of Worries?' A salesman of law books once returned broken-hearted to his room in a hotel. He had not sold a single book during his stay in that town for several days. He was worried how he could pay his dues to the hotel. He concluded that suicide was the only way out for him. As he prepared to jump down from the fourth floor of the hotel, he saw a Bible kept on the table. Curious to know what was in the book, he opened it. By God's timely grace, the following verse caught his attention, "Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matthew 6:33). On seeing that particular verse, his conscience seemed to tell him, "All these days you stood on your own legs and depended on your own strength. Why do not you take Jesus as your partner in life and your business?" At once he fell on his knees and cried, "Lord, I was forgetful of You. There was no one to tell me about You. Do forgive me. I accept You as my Partner in life and business. Will You not come and help me?" A divine peace filled his heart. A great hope stirred in him and he slept peacefully that night for the first time. The next morning he took his books and went for his work. He returned joyfully in the evening, because on that day he sold books as never before in his life. He received such joy and encouragement from Lord Jesus.
Dear friend, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelations 3:20) says the Lord. When we accept the Lord and invite Him to come into our hearts and lives, He will come in and dwell in us. He is still alive in our midst. He will never leave us. He will honour us and grant us new life. He will make us a new person. He will make our lives more meaningful. Let not your heart be troubled.
Prayer:
Gracious loving Father,
Grant me Your grace not to depend on my own strength to do things. Help me to be humble before You. Grant me the grace to overcome hurdles that comes in my way with Your help and strength. Lord, You go before me and make all the crooked path straight and smooth. In Jesus' mighty name, I ask.
Amen. |