Daily Scripture Reading: Acts 22:10 KJV
Acts 22:10 KJV
(10) And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
Philippians 3:12-14 KJV
(12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
(13) Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
(14) I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Today’s Devotional Is VISION AND PURPOSE
The entire course of Paul’s life was altered when he was brought to the Eternal. He saw the exalted Savior in that flash of Light and realized that he was antagonising God’s purposes for redeeming grace. That vision changed his entire purpose and actions. He forgot all the things that had happened and aimed to find those for whom he was being apprehended by Christ Jesus. His ambition was to follow the example of the mount.
He reflected on his life, his churches, his cities, his epistles, and the work he had done. He might have thought he understood, but he saw heights beyond what he could reach. If we look at our vision of God’s purposes and what we have realized, isn’t that also the case? We can relive the years past so that we can do better and be more successful in the transmission of the fair ideals that called to us many years ago. These sloppy apprentice-hands may not be able to fully realize the vision of the sanctuary. God forgives these mistakes and accepts them, just as the mother accepted the haphazard stitches of her little girl trying to help her sew. “Not that you have achieved perfection, but we continue to follow,” and God accepts your poor patchwork.
What can we do to realize our dreams? To be in communion with Christ and to whom we are to conform, we must spend more time in the sanctuary. We must join the Psalmist and say, “Whom have i in heaven but Thee? And there is no one on the earth that can fulfill my desire except Thee!” We will be transformed into His image when we look at Him. As He is, so will we be. Martyrs in agony the night before; reformers hesitating at what they must do; scholars questioning whether the long period of self-denial; fathers, mothers, teachers, workers, preachers, and missionaries; all have stood in the sanctuary God until they see the vision and ideal. They realized that God was willing to allow them to achieve what they had longed for. “All things can be achieved by those who believe.”
PRAYER for Today
Give me grace, O Lord. That I may see and know the things that I should do and have the grace and power to faithfully accomplish them. AMEN.