21 November 2019 – Acts 26:17-18 (NIV)

21 November 2019 – Acts 26:17-18 (NIV)

Scripture

17 I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Reflection

Jesus’s words to Paul (then known as Saul) on the road to Damascus highlighted the core of Jesus’s message to the world:  he was not just teaching people how to be ‘good;’ His teaching was to ‘open our eyes’ so that we can turn “from darkness to light.”  Jesus calls us all to receive forgiveness of our sins by having faith in Him.

Darkness hides sin.  When we are in darkness, we are blinded to the iniquities that keep us from knowing and following God.  But when we focus on hearts and minds on Jesus, we enter His light, which is revealing and redeeming.  Our sins are revealed as we encounter His goodness, and our lives are redeemed as we receive His forgiveness and grace.

Once we are forgiven, we are called – like Paul in this passage – to carry on that message to others, letting them know that God, who is love, is calling them out of darkness and into the light.

Thoughts for the day

  • What does this passage tell you about God or Jesus?
  • What does this passage tell you about humanity?
  • What do you feel God is telling you through this passage?
  • How can you apply this message in an area of your life that needs transformation?
  • Is there anyone you think should hear or will benefit from this message? Go and tell them.

Prayer

Identify anything that is making you weary or burdened and give it back to God. You might like to physically represent this by clinching your hands then opening them.

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By |2019-11-14T20:55:35+08:00November 21st, 2019|Categories: Week 3|Comments Off on 21 November 2019 – Acts 26:17-18 (NIV)

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About the Author:

Charlie Engelmann currently serving his third term as an elder of SCF. He is the director of Pepperdine University's Shanghai residential program and has lived in China on and off since 2001. He and his wife, Judith, have three kids: Ethan, Evangeline and EJ.