Acts 26.18 18 "'...to open their eyes, so that they
may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they
may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by
faith in me.’" - Jesus (ESV)
When I was a boy, I was fascinated with the words of
Jesus that were printed in red ink in my Bible. Mind you, I never read or
studied the Bible until much later in life, but I was fascinated that whole
portions of the Scripture (at least in the Bible I owned) were in red ink. Woweth!
Thoughtest I, they must be importantneth!! (As a lad, I was also quite fluent
in a variant of King James speech because that’s all I ever heardeth in church
and in prayers, etc.)
So, this morning I blew the dust off my old zipper-bound KJV
Bible and sure enough the words of Christ in Acts 26 are in red ink. I was
glad. I thought maybe those words had been forgotten. Those words are important,
not because they another set of do’s and don’ts, but because they’re the words
of the Lord to someone He’d commissioned as a servant to speak them. And here’s
what those words are: live with your eyes wide open in
order to quit thinking this life is all there is and that it’s all about you. An
enemy has power to hold you, but God has power to set you free from the things
that separate you from Him so you can inherit a place among those who believe
this message!
I like the part about a place among those who are set apart by faith in Him. There are many things in
this old world that give me indigestion and cause wrinkles on my brow. I hate how
people treat one another; I hate how I treat others. I hate the fact that most
of us, including this former King James speaker, pretend and play the game. I
long for truth and accuracy (my OCD cropping up) and I relish the thought of a
place among God’s people who are set apart because they believe – they have
faith in Him. I’m glad the Bible didn’t open with Book 1, Chapter 1, verse 1
stating: In the beginning God began
keeping score…
I’m glad there is a place promised to me because I
believe. It’s not because of me, but because it’s true. I've come to that place
where I accept that truth. I’m coming to that place where I actually act like I
believe that truth. But I’ll let my actions speak for my beliefs – that’s what
Paul did – he said, “So I always take
pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” (Acts 24.16 )
Actions speak way louder than words. And actions reveal where we are in the
whole faith-thing.
I've a long way to go – I know that. But I’m motivated by
that place Jesus told Paul about and that Paul told those in Acts 26 about.
That place is with God and away from the madness, inconsistency, and incompleteness
of this life. That place is where there is forgiveness, understanding, and
peace filled with the best gift of all: God’s favor all over it. So, red
letters or no, I’m there! You?
Father God, there is a place of sanctity and sanctuary in
Your presence and it shows up even when others call faith in You just another
sect. There is a place where You set apart Your children and promise to love
and care for them forever and Lord, warts and all, I’m in that place. And I’m
glad. Help me, like Paul, to share about that place and to see others get it
that they can live there too! I’m Yours, use me – Amen.
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