He Received Sight Forthwith

grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin!
 
Act 9:18 And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized.
Now we can understand from reading scripture and comparing line upon line, and precept upon precept that Saul here did not just stand up and get baptized for salvation, no dearly beloved, he had a "come to Jesus meeting", he understood his sins, and as the Lord showed Himself to Saul, no doubt Saul became a "believer", then after the meeting with repentence and a new heart he was baptized and it was all by faith through grace..Eph 2:8-9.  Thank God for that marvelous, wonderful grace.  Here I sit and prepare for tomorrows Sunday School lesson and I see Grace at work in the life of Paul the Apostle.  Traveling to Damascus with a mission..to destroy those that don't hold to the Law.  How many times might we be as Saul, as he was blinded by simple error.  He wholeheartedly felt that he was pleasing God in his pursuit.  At least he was zealous enough not to just whine about it, he was putting it into action.  How are we sometimes like Saul pursuing those of another religion and getting disgruntled and say that they deserve to be in hell? Dear Christian friend if it weren't for the prayers and steadfastness of some other saint in our lives and the drawing of the Holy Spirit of God we would never know saving Grace. What if they just said let em burn?  Thank God there was that grace and the power of God unto salvation to intervene in Saul's life.  I pray today that we would get off our high horses and humble ourselves and see the condition of so many around us that are lost and going to hell, can we instead pursue them with the Gospel and see the mighty hand of God work that we might glorify Him for all that is said and done?  Today I had to think about a lost soul as I was traveling with our teenagers past a palm reader/psychic sign, do you know how easy it was to think about Old Testament law and say that we shouldn't suffer a witch to live, then the overwhelming guilt overshadowed my heart.  You see that person needs to be Saved! They need to see Jesus, they are as Saul, blind and without true direction.  Some would say preacher someone could've told them about Jesus, yeah, that's true, but did I is my question.  So we see that there are many a lost soul caught up in cults and religion, may it be our endeavour to preach unto them Jesus.  As you look at the great spreading of the gospel in Jerusalem then the sending into Samaria how glorious it is to see it growing and going to the uttermost!  In past chapters we have Peters Preaching, Stephens Testimony, Phillip reaching the Samaritans, we now come upon the life and conversion of Saul.  As Saul is riding in, we see the miraculous power of God, but even more encouraging we see the obedience of a single man, and the impact it made in the life of a new convert.  Think about this, you may be the vessel made unto honor this day that God would so choose to use you in the saving of some wretched soul.  When I mean the saving, I mean being available to God, knowing God's Word, and being able to show some blinded sinner the Romans Road to salvation!  Wow what a thought that God used Ananias to lift the darkness from a blinded Pharisee's eyes! What even a greater thought that God would use you or me to see that same event being repeated some 2000 years later!  Can we honestly answer God, Behold, I am here Lord? Is your receiver up, are you in tune with what God has called you to do in life that you might be ready and available? Do we have some other object in the way, is our eye single and focused, or do we have spiritual cataracts? Dear brethren there is no greater calling, no greater work than that which God has set you aside for.  Has God laid a Saul on your heart, well if so dear brother then get busy, fear not as the Lord promised "I will be with you alway, even unto the end of the world."  May God continue to bless and may your heart be stirred to serve Him more boldly...until Jesus comes.