Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Aligning My Story

Scripture: Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by God’s grace I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not ineffective. 1 Corinthians 15:8-10a

Observation: Paul outlines the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection ... by his account, Peter, then the 12, then 500, then his brother James, then the other apostles. And then - last, and actually years later - to Paul, in a unique (aka "abnormal") manner. In this, Paul segregates himself from the other great apostles thusly ... he is more like all other believers than like the apostles, in that he met and accepted the resurrection of Jesus well after the situations surrounding the church pre-Pentecost. The truth of Jesus was revealed to Paul not while he was following Jesus and trying to understand the situation that had occurred, but rather when he was deep into his sin and violently attempting to destroy that very understanding.

Application: Paul can be hard to understand, but the fact is ... he is truly much more like me and the rest of the church today than others in the new testament. Paul was angry and hateful. He first scoffed at, then fought Christians. He righteously attacked the idea of any belief system that did not fit well with his personal way of life. He believed his thinking was right.

I did all that. Not to the point of stoning people to death or seeking arrest warrants, but the scoffing ... the anger ... the mocking attacks on stupid beliefs ... and all because I was intelligent and had studied the facts to the point of understanding. I can relate to Paul, and so I can empathize with others. Paul uses his story to reveal to those in Corinth that he understands them. I have that same advantage in my past - the ability to understand intellectual rejection of Jesus when his world view doesn't align to my life experience. I look forward to leveraging that advantage more.

Prayer: Lord, again I pray today for opportunities during the Christmas season to meet others in your name. I know you will bring thousands of people into my path. May I be worthy of having conversations as you would have me do. Amen.

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