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Sep 05, 2024 06:00am

A True Eye-Opener

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You think you know someone, and then something drastic or incredible happens, and the truth about them is revealed to you. Your eyes are opened, and you can see them clearly for the first time. You might even think, “How could I have been so blind?”

Saul, later known as Paul, may have been saying the same thing. His encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus was a true eye-opener.

Acts 9:3-9
“As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone.
8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus.
9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.”

My thoughts whirl this morning: “Why would God choose to blind Paul as a way to bring him to Himself?”

Is it because Paul had his sights set on ridding the world of Christians?

Maybe it was because Paul had his eyes fixed on worldly things like power, position, and what he could do.

But how interesting that Paul was blind and didn’t eat for three days. I assume that was the scariest thing to have ever happened to him. Can you imagine having your sight one minute, and the next, it’s completely gone? He was in darkness for three days. Like Jesus was buried for three days…

When the light shown from Heaven and Jesus spoke, it was so powerful and startling that Paul closed his eyes. He could only hear Jesus’s voice. And that’s when he heard the truth. The very one who held this great power was the one Saul had been persecuting.

And for three days, he could only ponder that in his mind.

How about you? Have you had a truly eye-opening moment? Did it take something drastic for you to see who Jesus was and that you desperately needed Him?

The encounter is only part of the equation. Our response determines our eternity.

Will we turn from Him as Judas did? Will we surrender, drop everything, and follow Him as the disciples did? Will we continue in our own way after hearing the truth like Pilate did? Will we be completely changed?

Tomorrow, we’ll see Saul’s response.

And praise the Lord for this great eye-opening moment.

If you’re interested in becoming a disciple of Christ and learning what it means to follow Him daily, go to follow.lifeword.org.