Tag: Saul

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Never forget

Cross at dawn

When the residents of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their brave men set out, journeyed all night, and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons… (1 Samuel 31:11-12)

I suppose it’s easy to forget who the residents of Jabesh-gilead were and why they risked their lives to retrieve the bodies of Saul and his sons.

But back in chapter 11, the first act of Saul was to organize the rescue of their city. They never forgot that.

In the same way, I never want to forget what Jesus did for me, always serving him from a heart of gratitude.

I was reading Psalm 86 this morning, and it really resonated with me after reading this story.

I will praise you with all my heart, Lord my God,
and will honor your name forever.

For your faithful love for me is great,
and you rescue my life from the depths of Sheol. (Psalm 86:12-13)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

A God who is to be honored

Saul

I’m in serious trouble,” replied Saul…”God has turned away from me. He doesn’t answer me anymore, either through the prophets or in dreams…”

Samuel answered… “You did not obey the Lord…” (1 Samuel 28:15, 18)

Father, you are not a genie to do my bidding. You are not a God who can be manipulated.

You are a God who is to be honored and obeyed.

Saul never learned that. He closed his ears and, more importantly, his heart to you.

And so in the end, you stopped speaking to him.

Let me never get to that point. Help me to always have a soft heart and open ears to you.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Wounds from a friend

Faithful are the wounds of a friend

As I read 1 Samuel 19-20, I thought about how Saul must have felt.

He must have really felt betrayed by his own children. Both had sided against him in favor of David. And that wounded Saul.

But they were not the ones who were wrong. He was.

And though Jonathan’s words wounded him, if Saul had only listened, he would have found healing. Instead, he continued down the path that led to his destruction.

I don’t think I’m as bad as Saul. But I can be hard-headed at times.

I don’t want to be that way. I want to be open to the words of faithful friends. Even if they hurt sometimes. (Proverbs 27:5-6)

I especially want to be open to the words of Jesus. Because he is my most faithful friend.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Hollow worship, true worship

Saul and Samuel

Now therefore, please forgive my sin and return with me so I can worship the Lord.”

Samuel replied to Saul, “I will not return with you. Because you rejected the word of the Lord… (1 Samuel 15:25-26)

Come back with me so I can bow in worship to the Lord your God.”

Then Samuel went back, following Saul, and Saul bowed down to the Lord. (1 Samuel 15:30-31)

Father, Saul professed a desire to worship you. But he had little idea what worship meant.

True worship is you having our hearts. All of our hearts.

David realized that:

You do not want a sacrifice, or I would give it;
you are not pleased with a burnt offering.

The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit.
You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God. (Psalm 51:16-17)

Saul never did figure that out.

Because you didn’t have Saul’s heart, his “worship” meant nothing to you.

Lord, do you have my heart?

Have all of my heart.

Don’t ever let my idea of worship become as shallow as Saul’s.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Doing what seems good to me?

Prayer

“Do whatever you want,” the troops replied.

But the priest said, “Let’s approach God here.” (1 Samuel 14:36)

As I read those words, I thought about the message my pastor gave at church yesterday.

He was talking about bringing everything in our lives under God’s good reign. To not just do whatever we want. But to seek God and do what is pleasing to him.

That’s what Saul failed to do, and that’s why his reign ultimately collapsed.

It’s so easy for me to just do whatever I want. To spend my money as I please. To spend my time as I please. To do what seems right to me.

But that’s not living under God’s reign.

So the thing I think God is telling me today is that I need to seek him more before making my decisions.

Probably the one area that’s the biggest is my finances. To put all of that under his reign, not just my tithes.

To not just do what seems right to me concerning my money, but to seek out what is pleasing to him.

How about you? What is God telling you today?

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Stifling the Spirit

Dove

When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart, and all the signs came about that day. 

When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a group of prophets met him.

Then the Spirit of God came powerfully on him, and he prophesied along with them. (1 Samuel 10:9-10)

The Spirit did some pretty incredible things for Saul.

What impressed me today, though, was how Saul responded: he stifled the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

He literally went home and hid.

I don’t know why.

Maybe his spiritual experience with the prophets scared him.

Maybe the mocking of the people around him caused him to shrink back.

But whatever the reason, he stifled the Spirit’s work in his life.

I don’t want to be like that.

I want to be like Peter and the apostles in Acts 2 when a similar thing happened to them.

As he did with Saul, the Spirit rushed over and filled them. But unlike Saul, the apostles then went out boldly living for God, doing all that he showed them to do.

Holy Spirit, do I ever stifle you in my life?

When you stir my heart, don’t let me just ignore it. Instead, give me the courage and willingness to fan that spark you lit into flame, following your leading, and doing everything you want me to do.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Where we place our hope

My hope is in you

And who does all Israel desire but you and all your father’s family?” (1 Samuel 9:20)

I was thinking on those words this morning.

Israel was placing their hope in an imperfect king, an imperfect savior.

Why would they do that when they already had a perfect King, a perfect Savior?

But it’s so easy to do. To place our hope in anyone or anything but God.

I don’t want to do that.

Instead, I choose to stay under my good King’s reign, making him the one I desire above all other things.

Now, Lord, what do I wait for?
My hope is in you. (Psalm 39:7)

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Acts Devotionals

Why delay?

Baptism

And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16)

It never struck me until today that Saul seemed to be hesitating to get baptized.

Why? Feelings of guilt for his past, probably. Wondering if God could really love him. Wondering if God could really use someone like him for his kingdom.

Maybe you are like Saul. You’re thinking about getting baptized, but you’re hesitating.

Perhaps it’s because you see all your sins and weaknesses. You see all your doubts.

Perhaps you feel you don’t know enough. Or maybe you wonder if you can “properly” live the Christian life.

Can I encourage you? Don’t hesitate.

None of us had completely cleaned up our lives before getting baptized.

None of us had perfect faith.

None of us knew everything about God and his word.

I’ve been a Christian for over 40 years, and I still can’t say I have accomplished any of these things.

All God wants us to do is to start that journey with him. And it starts with one decision: “Jesus I choose to trust you as my Lord and Savior. I want to follow you.”

If that’s you, don’t hesitate. Ananias’ words are for you.

And now, why are you delaying? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on his name. (Acts 22:16)

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Flashback Friday

Flashback Friday: Being God’s intersection point (4)

Flashback Friday

I’m bringing this one back because it kind of fits in with the theme of this week. I did add a few new lines to it, so call it a slightly revised version of what I wrote earlier. May we all truly believe we can be God’s intersection point in this world. And not only believe it, but actually live as God’s chosen instrument to those around us.

God’s chosen instrument
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1 Samuel Devotionals

I’ve got no other choice

1 Samuel

David said to himself, “One of these days I’ll be swept away by Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines.” (1 Samuel 27:1)

Essentially, David was saying there, “I’ve got no other choice. I have to run to Israel’s enemies for refuge.”

But I wonder. Was that really true?

Had he consulted God as he had in the past, would there have been a better option?

Sure, David got temporary relief from Saul’s murderous pursuit.  

But he had to deceive Achish to do so. And in deceiving Achish, David would nearly be forced to fight his own people in the next chapter. (28:1)

Sometimes we think we have no other option but to do something morally questionable. Sometimes doing that even gives us temporary relief from our problem.

But often times, as with David, our decision only leads to more problems and more morally questionable decisions.

Lord, let me never make decisions based on “I have no other choice.”

Instead, show me the right path. Show me the path that is most pleasing to you. In Jesus’ name, amen.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

When you’ve been abused

1 Samuel

This is the last time David and Saul ever talk. And while their parting was amicable, nevertheless, it’s clear that David did not trust Saul enough to return despite Saul’s promises.

Saul had proven far too many times that his promises could not be trusted.

That said, David treated Saul’s life as precious and forgave him.

When there is a pattern of abuse, I think it’s important to realize that while we are to forgive our abuser and not seek revenge, God does not require us to put ourselves in harm’s way.

It is all right to keep our distance until the other person proves that they have truly changed. And that takes time. Sadly, in many cases, that time never does come. It certainly didn’t for Saul.

So let us learn from David.

Forgive your abuser. But do not allow that person’s abuse.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Keeping a clear conscience

1 Samuel

Afterward, David’s conscience bothered him… (1 Samuel 24:5)

What do we do when our conscience bothers us?

If we want to keep a soft heart before God, our conscience is our first line of defense against sin. 

But we can sear our consciences by ignoring it when we do something wrong. (1 Timothy 4:2)

How do we know our consciences are seared? When the sin that used to bother us no longer does so.

That would happen to David later, and only after he was confronted by the prophet Nathan did he repent and have his soft heart restored. (2 Samuel 11-12).

So let us always strive to keep a clear conscience and a soft heart, praying with David,

Who perceives his unintentional sins? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.

Moreover, keep your servant from willful sins; do not let them rule me. Then I will be blameless and cleansed from blatant rebellion.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:12-14)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Bearing with others’ weaknesses

1 Samuel

It’s easy, I suppose, to criticize the people of Keilah. After all, David had just saved them from the Philistines, and now they were going to hand him over to Saul?

There is something to note, however.

We have no hint that the people of Keilah had been talking to Saul like the people of Ziph did.

It is possible, of course, but there was no way that David rescuing Keilah from the Philistines would have escaped Saul’s notice, even if the people of Keilah had said nothing.

More likely what happened is that word came to Keilah that Saul was coming, and that David started hearing people whispering around him.

“What do we do? We can’t just hand David over can we? He just saved us from the Philistines.”

“Yeah, but did you hear what Saul did at Nob? He slaughtered over 80 priests because they had helped David. Priests!!!”

“Yeah, and we couldn’t protect ourselves from the Philistines. How could we protect David from Saul? He’d just kill us like he killed the priests and kill David anyway.”

And it was probably those whispers that led to David asking God, “Will they hand me over to Saul?”

When God said yes, David could have gotten angry at the people. He could have demanded the people of Keilah at least try to help him.

But instead, he left quietly.

He understood their weakness, and so he forgave them.

People will let us down. They are weak.

But then again, so are we. And yet Jesus still shows us grace every day.

So let us remember the words of Paul:

Therefore, as God’s chosen ones, holy and dearly loved, put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another.

Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive. (Colossians 3:12-13)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

No one cares?

None of you cares about me… (1 Samuel 22:8)

Such were the words of Saul who was convinced everyone was conspiring against him when no one was.

And then there are the words of David as he was hiding from Saul in a cave.

Look to the right and see: no one stands up for me; there is no refuge for me; no one cares about me. (Psalm 142:4)

David definitely had Saul conspiring against him, but his words weren’t entirely true either.

Jonathan had stood up for him very strongly.

Michal had risked her life to save him as well.

The king of Moab also took care of his family for a time. And that’s not even mentioning the 400 men who had joined him.

Still, being on the run as he was and hiding in a cave, you can understand the exaggeration.

But unlike Saul, David put his trust in the Lord. He poured out his heart to God, confessing his weakness. And all the while, he was saying things like,

Although my spirit is weak within me, you know my way. (Psalm 142:3)

I say, “You are my shelter, my portion in the land of the living.” (Psalm 142:5)

The righteous will gather around me because you deal generously with me. (Psalm 142:7)

Do you feel that no one cares about you?

Look a little more carefully. More people care about you than you think. And even if everyone does abandon you, God never will.

He knows our way. He is our shelter. And he will deal generously with us.

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1 Samuel Devotionals

When we reject God

1 Samuel

Three times in these chapters, we see the phrase, “an evil spirit from God came upon Saul.” (1 Samuel 16:14, 23; 18:10; 19:9).

Let’s be honest. Those are hard words. God sends an evil spirit to torment people? How can a good and loving God do that?

The best answer I can give is that this was God’s righteous judgment on Saul for his rejection of God.

There are hints, however, that this is a last step to try to bring people to repentance.

In a similar story in 1 Kings 22, God sends a lying spirit to lead King Ahab to destruction. But as he does so, he sends a prophet to tell him exactly what is happening, giving Ahab one last chance to repent.

Sadly, unlike in an earlier story (1 Kings 21:27-29), Ahab refuses to do so. (1 Kings 22:17-28)

We also see this in the New Testament. In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, he says concerning an unrepentant sinner,

hand that one over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:5)

In Revelation 9, it talks about plagues God sends, some of which seem to imply demonly origins. Many people die, but many more survive, giving them a final chance to repent. But the people refuse to do so (Revelation 9:20-21)

And then there are Paul’s words in 2 Thessalonians 2.

God releases Antichrist into the world that they might be deceived and perish. Why? In Paul’s words, the reason for God doing this is made crystal clear:

They perish because they did not accept the love of the truth and so be saved.

For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe the lie, so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but delighted in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12)

In short, the Antichrist and his deception is part of the judgment on this earth for their refusing to love the truth. It is essentially the same judgment that both Saul and Ahab received.

How about you? Do you love God? Do you love truth? Do you delight in righteousness? How will you respond to God?

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Seeking God?

1 Samuel

And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.”

But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” (1 Samuel 14:36, ESV)

The soldiers’ words to Saul are very reminiscent to the Israelites’ attitude in Judges. In a time where there was no king, “everyone did whatever seemed right to him.” (Judges 21:25)

Now there was a king who was supposed to be seeking God (Deueteronomy 17:18-20), and the people told him, “Just do whatever seems right to you.”

And that was the problem with Saul throughout his life. He often paid lip service to seeking God, but sometimes he had to reminded to do so. (1 Samuel 14:36)

Other times he would start doing so and then give up on it before getting an answer. (19)

Even worse, like Jephthah (Judges 11:30-31), there were times where instead of seeking God, Saul sought to manipulate God by use of foolish oaths.

All of which makes me think: what is my attitude toward God?

When I’m making decisions, am I seeking him? Or am I simply doing whatever seems good to me?

Do I have a heart that seeks to manipulate him to do my will?

Or do I have a heart that seeks to truly serve him and do his will?

As God would tell another king years later,

For the eyes of the Lord roam throughout the earth to show himself strong for those who are wholeheartedly devoted to him. (2 Chronicles 16:9)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

When the heat is on

1 Samuel

Saul answered, “When I saw that the troops were deserting me and you didn’t come within the appointed days and the Philistines were gathering at Michmash… I forced myself to offer the burnt offering.”

Samuel said to Saul, “You have been foolish. You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you.” (1 Samuel 13:11-13)

It’s easy to obey God when things are going well. But how about when things are not?

Trials tend to show what’s really in our hearts.

Do we really trust God? Do we really believe his way is best? Do we believe it so much that our first instinct when things get hard is to obey him?

Or do we foolishly go our own way?

Saul’s trials showed what was in his heart.

What do our trials show about what’s in ours?

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1 Samuel Devotionals

A prayer

1 Samuel

“The Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully on you, you will prophesy with them, and you will be transformed.

When these signs have happened to you, do whatever your circumstances require, because God is with you.”

…When Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. (1 Samuel 10:6-7, 9)

Father, what you did for one man, and only for a short time, you have now done for your entire church, giving us your Spirit. (Acts 1:8; 2:1-18)

Because of Saul’s unfaithfulness and sin, your Spirit eventually left him. (1 Samuel 16:14)

But because of your faithfulness and your grace, you promise never to forsake us. (2 Timothy 2:13; Hebrews 13:5)

Holy Spirit, come down powerfully on all your people. Transform us. Change our hearts. Lead us. Use us to touch this nation and bring your salvation to it.

Today, help us touch our loved ones, our coworkers, our neighbors, and everyone around us with your love.

In Jesus’ name, amen.

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Acts Devotionals

God’s chosen instrument

God's intersection point

It’s easy, sometimes, to read something God has said in scripture, and think, “This could never apply to me.”

I think that’s definitely true for verse 15 in this chapter. Here, God says to Ananias,

This man (Saul) is my chosen instrument to take my name to Gentiles, kings, and Israelites. (Acts 9:15)

But as much as God said that about Paul, he says that about you. You are his chosen instrument to take his name to the people around you. The question is, “Do you believe it?”

Too many Christians don’t, and that’s why they prefer to leave ministry (especially sharing the gospel) to the “professionals.”

It’s probably also why so many Christians don’t spend much time reading God’s word and praying.

But God says this to you: “You are my chosen instrument. Be that intersection point between heaven and earth to those around you. Be that place where those around you can encounter me.”

How much would your life change if you truly believed God was saying that to you?

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1 Samuel Devotionals

A house on sand?

1 Samuel

As I read this passage, something interesting struck me. Samuel’s ministry ended it the same way it began: with a message of judgment.

The first message was one of judgment on the high priest Eli. The second was a message of judgment against Saul.

Why were they judged? Because as Jesus would later teach, they had built their lives on sand.

In Eli’s case, he was judged because he honored his sons more than God. His sons were also priests, but they committed horrid sins.

Eli knew of it, but refused to do anything about it. And so when the storm came, Israel was defeated by the Philistines and Eli and his sons died.

In Saul’s case, time and again he refused to listen to God and just did things his own way. So when the storm came, he too died in a battle with the Philistines.

How about you? What are you building your life on? Are you building it on sand, making decisions based on your own wisdom?

Or are you building it on rock, trusting God and obeying his Word?

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Mercy and Grace

1 Samuel

As I look back on my older blogs, particularly on the Old Testament, I think I looked for a lot of practical, moral lessons.

I think to some degree that is fine. Paul wrote to the Corinthians that these things are written as examples for us and for our instruction. (I Corinthians 10:1-13)

But as I’ve noted before, Jesus said that all these things in the Old Testament also point to him. (Luke 24:25-27, 44-47).

And so as I look at the life of David, especially as the ancestor of Jesus, I see pictures of our Savior.

Here is David, who committed no sin or crime against Saul, who in no way was rebellious, and yet was persecuted by Saul. (1 Samuel 24:11)

He seemingly had every right to kill Saul, and yet instead he showed mercy. Though Saul committed evil against David, David repaid him with good, and so Saul told him,

Now I know for certain you will be king, and the kingdom of Israel will be established in your hand. (1 Samuel 24:20)

In so many ways, this is a picture of Jesus.

Jesus was sinless, and did no wrong. And yet we wronged him, rebelling against him. But unlike David, who in reality had no right to kill Saul, Jesus had every right to destroy us for our sin. And yet he showed us mercy.

Though we rebelled against him, though we sinned against him, he repaid us with good, taking our punishment on the cross.

And that is the biggest contrast between Jesus and David. David pleaded to God to judge between himself and Saul. And God eventually repaid Saul for his sin.

But when God judged between Jesus and us, he placed the judgment we deserved on Jesus.

As Paul put it,

But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

And because of what Jesus did, Jesus is king, and all will be established in his hand. For as Paul also said,

For this reason God highly exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,
so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow—
in heaven and on earth
and under the earth—
and every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

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1 Samuel Devotionals Psalms Devotionals

Stop fighting!

Be still

As I was looking at these two passages today, I saw a connection there.

Here is David running for his life from Saul. But as he did, he found what the author of Psalm 46 discovered.

God is our refuge and strength,
a helper who is always found
in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

What do we make of what happened to Saul at the end of 1 Samuel 19? Perhaps it was God’s way of saying to him,

“Stop your fighting, and know that I am God,
exalted among the nations, exalted on the earth.” (Psalm 46:10)

God humbled Saul that day. Yet Saul never stopped fighting God.

Had Saul ever stopped struggling against God, he would have found peace. He would have found that God is our refuge and strength. Instead, he constantly lived in fear, sinned greatly because of it, and eventually perished.

As I think back to my last blog, I can’t help but draw parallels between Jacob and Saul.

Like Saul, Jacob struggled to say, “My God.”

Like Saul, Jacob struggled against God.

But unlike Saul, Jacob learned to stop fighting God, and to follow after him. As a result, he ultimately found peace.

How about you? Are you still fighting God, doing things your own way, living only for yourself?

Or do you look at him and say, “You are my God. You are the one I trust”?

If we will do so, we too will find that,

The Lord of Armies is with us;
the God of Jacob is our stronghold. (Psalm 46:11)

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1 Samuel Devotionals

Seeking the Lord’s favor?

1 Samuel

Here we see the first of Saul’s two major failures that led to his loss of the throne God had given him.

He was supposed to wait for Samuel to come and offer a sacrifice before engaging the Philistines, but Samuel was late.

And with his troops panicking and deserting him, he “forced himself” to offer the sacrifice. After all, he needed to “seek the Lord’s favor.”

It’s interesting to see Samuel’s words in verses 13-14.

It was at this time that the LORD would have permanently established your reign over Israel, but now your reign will not endure. (1 Samuel 13:13-14)

One wonders if Samuel’s lateness was really a test to see if Saul would obey God even under extreme pressure, much in the same way that God tested Abraham in the offering of Isaac.

I don’t know. Maybe Samuel was just late and all he was saying was that the battle against the Philistines was supposed to solidify Saul’s reign in Israel.

But here’s the thing: Samuel said,

“The Lord has found a man after his own heart, and the LORD has appointed him ruler over his people, because you have not done what the LORD commanded. (14)

Saul made the mistake that many people do: they think that God is most interested in religious rituals, religious works, or even works of ministry. They think these are the ways to gain God’s favor in their lives.

But what God is really after is our heart.

All our religious works, rituals, and ministry work mean nothing if God doesn’t have our hearts. And that’s a theme we see throughout the Bible.

Had God had Saul’s heart, Saul would have had a successful reign. What Saul showed in his actions was that God truly didn’t have his heart.

His foolish actions that day were the mere symptom of that much larger problem.

Were God to test your heart, what would he find? Would he find a heart that belongs to him?

God is not primarily interested in your ministry and how successful it is. Nor is he primarily interested in how much you tithe, or how often you read your Bible, or pray.

All these things are important. But the thing he wants most from you is your heart. And if he doesn’t have your heart, in his eyes, he has nothing.

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Acts

Chosen…to go

Acts

I said yesterday there were two stories in Acts that shows both the election of God, man’s choice, and our need to go and spread the gospel.

Looking at today’s story, I think I should make that three stories. (The third is that of Cornelius in chapter 10).

Here is Saul, a Pharisee, totally hardened to Christ, and determined to wipe all Christians off the face of the earth. And had God simply let him be, he would have gone straight to hell.

But then God intervened. Why? Because he chose to save him. We see this in God’s conversation with Ananias.

When God told Ananias to go and help Saul, Ananias basically said, “God, are you serious? Don’t you know this guy is trying to kill us?”

God’s answer?

Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. (Acts 9:15)

I alluded to this yesterday, but God’s answer here again blows up the argument of, “If God has determined that certain people be saved, then we don’t have to do anything. We don’t have to go and evangelize others. God’s already chosen those who will be saved.”

Can you imagine Ananias using that type of reasoning with God?

“Well God, if you’ve already chosen him, there’s no reason for me to go.”

How would that line of reasoning flown with God? Not very well I suspect.

Why? Because God commanded Ananias to go. And he has commanded us to go as well.

Certainly, God could save people without our help. But for the most part, he has chosen to effect his salvation through us. He has put the keys of the kingdom in our hands. And if we don’t go, those gates will remain locked to those who don’t know him.

Note that particularly in this story and in the story of Cornelius, while Jesus appeared directly to Saul, and an angel appeared directly to Cornelius, still God required that his people go and talk to them.

He requires the same of us.

Ananias was chosen by God and told to go.

Phillip in chapter 8 was also chosen and told to go.

And we see here in this chapter that God called Saul also that he might go and preach the gospel to both Jew and Gentile.

You were chosen to go as well.

I heard someone say something once that I’ve already remembered. He asked, “What are the first two letters of the word ‘God?'”

Then he asked, “What are the first three letters of the word ‘Satan?'”

What will you do?