The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Who? What?"
"And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" (Acts 9:5-6).
So began Paul's lifelong - and eternal - journey in the grace and truth of the Lord Jesus Christ. He asked the perfect questions at the outset of his relationship with God, which he doubtless continued to ask throughout his lifetime. This provides a powerful example for all believers as we do well to frequently ask, "Who are You, Lord? What will You have me to do?"
God's ongoing response to "Who are You?" leads us to love and trust Him as He reveals Himself in terms of His perfect character. The growing discovery of His loving nature results in our growing response as we more and more realize His goodness and faithfulness. "We love Him because He first loved us" began our relationship with our Lord (I John 4:19). Our devotion to Him then grows as we more and more discover the infinite vastness of His devotion to us. Moreover, we trust someone to the degree we know the extent of their integrity. Growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus results in the growth of our confidence and our walk by faith (II Peter 3:18). "Who are You, Lord?" Increasing love and faith lie in the answers.
His answers to "What will You have me to do?" confirm Solomon's assurance, "The path of the just is as the shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Proverbs 4:18). Doing what God would have us to do is always the way of light and life, no matter the challenge or the sacrifice. He supplies the power of the Holy Spirit for obedience as He works in us "both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). Thereby, we more and more "walk and please God" as we realize His will as the optimum and only path that leads to peace (I Thessalonians 4:1). "What will You have me to do?" The light of Christ glimmers ever more brightly as we seek the path of His will upon which it shines.
We would do well to adopt Paul's inquiries as a daily offering: "Who are You, Lord? What will You have me to do?" Believers require ongoing realization of who our God is, and current leading regarding His will for the day. The questions help to put us in the proper frame of heart and mind as we love, trust, and submit to God by faith. The Holy Spirit will shine His light and direct our feet as we join the Apostle who began his walk with the Lord Jesus by asking the most pertinent of questions, and who would tell us that we can offer no better inquiries.
"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord."
(II Peter 1:2)
"Show me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths."
(Psalm 25:4)
Weekly Memory Verse
Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men!
(Psalm 31:19)
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