Okay. I've not been the most dedicated blogger here. I love the concept. I fail on execution. From here on out, this will be a place to continue the conversation from Sunday night. View this as a place to add comments that you wish you had made during the dialogue on Sunday night. Or a place to add a thought that popped into your head since Sunday night. Whatever the case, share those here and continue the conversation this week.
Tonight we talked about Acts 9 and the life change of a man named Saul. Here are some of the thoughts that we talked about tonight. If you are continuing to think about this and mull things over in your mind, feel free to jump in and add to the conversation...
1) "Life begins with an encounter with Jesus and we're either being prepared for it, or, we are living in the assurance of it."
2) God uses our past to His advantage for the His purpose.
3) Ananias said, "Brother, Saul..." and considered him a friend and brother instead of a persecutor and threat. Are there people in our lives who we need to offer hospitality, fellowship, and acceptance to even before Jesus transforms them? Even if they aren't transformed?
4) Are there people in our life who we have been viewing as beyond God's love, yet could be the next Saul through the transformation of Jesus? Do we realize that God can (and wants to) transform all people?
Who is this guy?
- Trevor
- Findlay, OH
- I love my family. My wife is great. My kids are a riot. My dog is the best dog in the world. I love to read but I don't read enough. I love to watch movies but I don't watch enough. I want to write a book but I don't know what to write about. I want to golf more but don't have the time or money. Wow. Now I'm depressed!
5 comments:
Great use of the blog! I find your second point regarding God's use of our past to His advantage extremely thought provoking. I've always felt that I don't regret the things I've done - I only regret some of the things I haven't done - or quit doing because they were "too hard." All the other experiences, stupid or otherwise, mold us into the people we are today. To think that God has planned all along to use us and the culmination of our life experience as part of His complex plan is extremely humbling - and shoud give hope to anyone who thinks they've done things in the past to "screw up their lives."
I agree with you, Jim. It's pretty amazing how can use my laundry list of screw ups, things that I thought were driving a wedge between God and me, to actually draw me into closer relationship.
The idea I've been swimming is the question about hospitality. If I really honest with myself, hospitality and acceptance are closely related things; I, more times than not, may be hospitable but not necessarily accepting. It seems as though life change happens as it will, but it often never happens healthily if it's a contingency. (i.e. I'll accept you if...) God asks that we come as we are, not as we ought to be. It seems that to be truly hospitable we should offer acceptance to people as they are, and not offer it contingent on them becoming who they 'ought' to be.
That way we're not agents causing change, we can just be tools that God uses for His purposes of healing, hope and redemption for people.
I could keep going though...especially as it regards to holding people accountable for their choices and how I think we have to earn the right in people's lives to speak words of that nature into their lives...
...but that's just me
because i didn't realize that trevor would be so quick on the follow up, i mentally processed on my xanga blog. www.xanga.com/jsumc
i suppose now i'll have to begin blogspotting... :)
i gave in and created a blog here... now i can process thoughts in the journey way
Way to give in to the Blogspot way, Michele. Glad to have you!
What really hit home to me was definitely the "come as you are" part of the story. God didn't ask Saul to stop persecuting Him before He scooped him up into His embrace. God used Saul right in the midst of his nastiness.
I have a lot of nastiness and I usually think - if I could only get this, this, and this in order in my life, then I'd be able to do better work for God. God is probably saying, "Andrea, you don't need to have everything in order, I just need you now. As you are. All of you."
I'm focusing on me and my shortcomings and my personal relationship with God in this whole thing because until I get that figured out, I can't really offer God's acceptance to others can I? Or is that thought/question just another way I am putting off doing what I know God is asking me to do?
I can't do what God is asking me until........ until what? There will always be something. So we should do it now, because He loves us now.
Hope you're following this at least a little bit.
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