Two Polar Opposites—GOD is GOD of Both!
- The Santa Cruz trek in the Andes Mountains offer the most-breathtaking scenes in all of Peru at a height of 4700+ meters (15,600+ feet).
&
- The Lofoften Islands in Norway offer one of the most-breathtaking sights in the whole world—the Northern Lights (the Aurora Borealis).
As high as a person can hike in the mountains of South America and the best place a person can travel in order to see the northern lights in Scandinavia. Yet, it is impossible to stand in both places at the same time! A person must choose one of these Two Polar Opposites.
This causes me to ask these questions:
- Why can one person clearly see God and come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord?
&
- Why can’t another person see God with clarity and may struggle to come to accept God as God and Jesus Christ as the Lord?
Two Polar Opposites of Thought!
The persecutor Saul of Tarsus (a religious fanatic) was a Polar Opposite of the 1st Century Christians. He was most definitely the one to avoid at all costs if you were a believer. Everywhere he traveled, he went with authority, with government documents that gave him the authority to drag Christians “any belonging to the Way, whether men or women,” from their homes, their jobs, their houses of worship & drag them in shackles to Jerusalem or persecute them, even to the point of death. (the disciple Stephen found this truth as the stones were plummeted at his body).
So, one ordinary day when Saul was traveling to the city of Damascus where known “Christians” were said to be living and worshipping, no one really paid particular attention to the bright light that seemed to come upon Saul—BUT SAUL DID! The Bible does record that the men traveling with Saul heard a voice but could not see what Saul—saw! This astounds me: How some see God & some cannot see God. Please read with me God’s Word.
“And he said, [Saul said as he fell down on the ground] “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus . . .”
(Acts of the Apostles 9: 5a NASB)
I read how this light is the light that blinds a person as his eyes are opened to see the truth of God. Oh, how desperately we need more blinding light in the 21st Century! When the LORD is speaking to someone, when that person is disoriented about the TRUTH, when the conviction of the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, the saints should fall on our face in praise to our Father and exclaim as Kim Walker-Smith sings in her beautiful melody “Throne Room”—
“One look at You and I’m undone/
I run to the Throne Room/
I run to the Throne Room/
And I fall on my face/
With angels and saints/
And all I can say is/
Holy! Holy! Holy! Are YOU—GOD!”
“Throne Room”
- Help us not run past this moment.
- Help us never underestimate the power of God!
- Help us never think a person is “too far gone” for God to save!
- Help us LORD GOD to trust YOU!
That day, Saul was able to SEE with clarity—JESUS! Is that NOT what every unbeliever needs to do in order to know Jesus as Savior?!!!!!
That day, when every other man stood there in amazement, Saul fell to the ground and responded to God’s question with his own question.
That day, Saul became a Christian!
That day was for Saul—DAY ONE (of his walk) with the Lord Jesus Christ!
GOD’S AMAZING GRACE! THE POWER TO SAVE!
- Let us not rush quickly past that thought.
- Let us not take lightly the salvation of another’s soul.
- Let us NOT dimmish the fact that Jesus currently sits beside God on the throne & that God is STILL SAVING PEOPLE who call upon the name of Jesus for salvation!
LET US NOT FORGET!
EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! . . . !
I read these truthful words that I share with you, words that apply so well to the conversion of Saul.
“The same Everlasting Father Who cares for you today, will take care of you tomorrow and every day.”—Francis De Sales.
Saul was so “blinded” by the truth of the existence of God that he suffered temporary blindness, requiring a faithful follower (Ananias) to care for his personal needs. Maybe God is calling us to be an “Ananias” to another today. Without the conversion of Saul, I am confident God would have chosen another man to take the gospel to the Gentiles, to us; nevertheless, because God chose to save Saul forevermore, the Apostle Paul was born.
“But the Lord said to him, [to Ananias} “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;
for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.”
So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him [on Saul] said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.
And immediately something like fish scales fell from his eyes, [from Saul’s eyes] and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized;
and he took food and was strengthened.”
(The Acts of the Apostles 9: 15-19 NASB)
Then Saul began to preach Christ!
So, let us not just stand still and wonder—
- How one person can clearly see God & come to know Jesus as Savior and Lord.
WHILE
- Another person cannot see God with clarity & may struggle to come to accept God as God & Jesus Christ as the Lord.
Instead, let us respond to the “Great Commission” Almighty God has given to each believer!
These are Two Polar Opposites of Thought that still exist!
Two Polar Opposites—Nonetheless, GOD is GOD of Both!
Even though our adversary opposes our faithful walk, let us be as King David, who faced adversaries and continually trusted WHO would see him through the dark times of his persecution. Just as God brought Saul to the TRUTH, maybe the ones we know who are struggling to believe will soon “see the light of God too.”
Let us Never Forget the Faithfulness of our Father!
NO, NOT EVER!
“The LORD will accomplish what concerns me;
Your faithfulness, LORD, is everlasting;
Do not abandon the works of Your hands.”
(Psalm 138: 8 NASB)