…..I left off with Rahab. Now I want to introduce you to a man named Saul. Saul hated Christians. I mean he hated them; it was his main goal in life to kill them, to hurt them, to destroy them. But God had a different plan. One day Saul was on his way to Damascus and a bright light appeared to Him. He dropped to his knees and said “who are you Lord?” The voice said “I am Jesus who you are persecuting.” Then Jesus told him to go to Damascus and wait. After that, God spoke to a Christian man Ananias. He told Ananias to go to Damascus to Saul of Tarsus. Ananias was like “eh…are you sure Lord? Do you know who this guy is?!?!? He will kill me and enjoy every minute of it!!! “ (my paraphrasing). God was like “GO!” Ananias obeyed. When Ananias got to Saul the Bible says he laid his hand on Saul and something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes. Saul was filled with the Holy Spirit and became a Christ follower. Interestingly enough, God had told Ananias that He (God) was going to show Saul how much he must suffer for Christ. And suffer he did. Saul became Paul and suffered beatings, imprisonment, ship wrecks, storms, persecution. But, God always had a plan! Paul wrote a significant part of the New Testament and is responsible for spreading the Gospel over a huge amount of land! What an amazing testimony of the grace of Jesus Christ! God had a plan for Saul to become Paul. Out with the old, in with the new.
Now, to a man named Jesus. Jesus was born in a manger to a virgin. The world was not lying in wait for him as stories like to make us think. No, there was chaos all around. The scene Jesus entered into was a scary one. But rest assured God had a plan. Jesus grew. He was a son, a friend, a brother, a leader. He was led into temptation by Satan himself and tempted so that He would know how you and I felt. He was beaten, belittled, sworn at, spat at, and hung on a cross. But God had a plan. What was that plan? As Jesus stretched out His arms and said “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” God looked down the road 2,000+ years later and saw a messed up young woman named Kim calling on His name. He saw her; hurt and beaten down by life, He saw her at her wit’s end. He saw her hurting and needing a healing from the inside out. And as Jesus took his last breath and said “it is finished” the veil in the temple ripped from top to bottom granting US total access to God the Father, something that until that moment had not been accessible to anyone other than the high priest. The sky grew dark. The Earth began to shake and the very people who had killed him said “surely this was the Son of God!” As this happened, He looked down the road and saw humanity in all their weakness, needing a savior. Perhaps He saw you, at your wit’s end; calling on His name saying “Jesus! I just can’t do this by myself! I need you!” Yes, there was a plan. There has always been a plan. It’s a plan of redemption. It’s a plan of mercy and grace. Above that, it’s a plan of love.
Let me assure you. I don’t know where you are. I may know you, I may not. But, I do know Jesus. And, Jesus knows you. I do know that He always has a plan. He had one for Moses, he had one for Rahab, he had one for Saul, and He had one for Jesus. He has one for me and he has one for you. He already paid the price. All you have to do is accept the gift.
