Well, I am at it again, Father – transporting the girls’ softball team for a scrimmage. I haven’t done many trips in a while. Thank You for a safe trip down and please protect us as we head back home here in a bit. Amen.
Acts 9:1-9 (<<click here to read the passage)
Karma is a popular term in our culture – instant karma in particular. Karen said one of her first-grade students kept using the term “karma” today in class…probably not even knowing what it meant.
Wikipedia gives this very basic definition: Good intent and good deeds contribute to good karma and happier rebirths, while bad intent and bad deeds contribute to bad karma and bad rebirths.
First of all, I believe the only rebirth we get is accepting Jesus’ gift of salvation. Many call it being “born again”, echoing Jesus’ proclamation in John 3:3,
“I assure you and most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see and experience the kingdom of God.” AMP
We get this one life to live, this one span of years to decide if we are going to accept God and follow Him – living with Him forever – or reject God and His ways – and be separated from Him forever. We’re not reborn as a worm, or a cow, or a flower until we “get it right”. We have one shot and this is it.
As I read through today’s passage I struggled. A few things came to mind, but nothing seemed right. My mind honed in on Saul and his misguided ways and instant karma seemed to fit. Yourdictionary.com defines instant karma as a circumstance where the actions of a person backfire by causing an immediate unforeseen and unintended effect that may be deemed just deserts for those actions. And boy does that definition shine a blinding light, if you will, on what happened to Saul.
He was on a mission to Damascus to bring great persecution on the followers of Jesus there, when…
…a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
“Who are you, lord?” Saul asked.
And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting! Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! Saul picked himself up off the ground, but when he opened his eyes he was blind. So his companions led him by the hand to Damascus. He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink. v3-9 NLT
He most assuredly believed in what he was doing and went about it with great enthusiasm, but he was greatly misguided in his “mission”. Many people’s conversion are relatively quiet but that’s not how Jesus got Saul’s attention. I think he was quite a way past a subtle approach. Jesus chose to stop him dead in his tracks. Saul could have rebelled and denied the reality of the situation, but his only sensible choice was to just stop and do what he was told.
We don’t like this approach but we all probably know someone who was running fast and furious away from God but then something atrocious took place…and God had their attention. …and the only sensible choice was to just stop and follow His leading.
Mar 16th, 2022, Wed, 6:01 pm
