WATCHWORD:
12 “On one of these journeys I was going to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priests. 13 About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. 14 We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ 15 “Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied. 16 ‘Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. 17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:12-18
1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. John 3:1-3
Meditation:
Your Story, My Story
You were baptized, you accepted Christ as Lord and Savior and you do your best to follow the Will of God. You have story. I’m a preacher’s kid. I grew up in the church. I thought I was a Christian, that is, until the circumstances of my life crashed and I found out what Jesus meant when He told Nicodemus, “You must be born again.” Since then I have done my best to follow Jesus as Lord. I have story.
We all have our own unique life story, but it is really God’s story happening through you and me. You have a story to share because it’s really about all your struggles, celebrations, griefs, and joys, the story of God’s grace in and through you. Operable word: Share.
When given the opportunity, Paul told his story. One of the main reasons a personal story is so powerful is that no one can argue against the way God has chosen to work in and through you. Think of moments when you had to trust God with a loved one who was sick, or when you were not sure how to pay a debt and God provided for you. Or maybe you thought your marriage was at the point of no return, but God brought it back. Or possibly your circumstances led you to the Joy of Salvation. All elements of story.
People can debate theology and doctrine, but they cannot argue against the awesome work of God in and through a transformed life. May we not lose sight of the power of whom we serve and that we are called to be his people. Let’s embrace and celebrate the wonder of God’s power in our lives each day, and share our story. So be it.
Bulletin Board:
Today’s Watchword was inspired by a devotional written by Ron Baker, Pastor of Vitalpoint Church, Ontario, Canada.
Closing Prayer:
God, undo me today! Soften my heart and bring me freedom so that I may see and know the wonder of who you are. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
