Yesterday for Today // Immovable, Part 2 [Devo]

September 7th, 2022

Yesterday for Today

Immovable, Part 2
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On Sunday, Pastor Tim spoke about the skepticism new readers of the Bible can sometimes face when reading stories that don’t quite fit within our sense of reality. He talked about the Bible being just as true today as it was when written long ago.

Oftentimes, I try to find myself in certain biblical stories, related to a situation I’m currently facing. The first story that always comes to mind is that of Paul. The book of Acts is where Paul speaks a lot about his (literal) road to Jesus. In chapter 22, he describes his actions leading up to his encounter with Christ. Verses 4-10 read:

“I worked hard and killed men and women who believed as I believe today. I put them in chains and sent them to prison. The head religious leader and the leaders of the people can tell you this is true. I got letters from them to take to our Jewish brothers in the city of Damascus. I was going there to put the Christians in chains and bring them to Jerusalem where they would be beaten. “I was near Damascus. All at once, about noon, I saw a bright light from heaven shining around me. I fell to the ground. A voice said to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you work so hard against Me?’ I said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, the One you are working against.’ Those who were with me saw the light. But they did not hear Him speaking to me. I asked, ‘Lord, what should I do?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Get up! Go to Damascus. You will be told what to do there.’”

Christ uses broken people to deliver His message.

God used Phillip to share the Gospel message. He used him to be an influence in someone’s life. We all have an opportunity to share the Gospel with those around us. God has called us to go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

I’m grateful for the relationships that I have had over the years, especially the ones with those who encouraged and supported me in getting baptized. They have been a great influence to me, and now I need to be that influence for others.

I would encourage you to not let embarrassment or shame deter you from getting baptized. We all have fallen short. We all have sinned. What is amazing about our God is that His love for us is everlasting, and His grace for us is constant and new every day.

I would also encourage all of us to not miss these opportunities to lead others to Christ. It can be as simple as an invitation to a cup of coffee or to a church service. A small step can grow into a life-changing decision.