There's No Such Thing as Hopeless!

     There was a man, a terrible violent man whose name was Saul.  He had a reputation for throwing people into jail.  This would not have been bad if he'd had a good reason, but he didn't.  The people he jailed were Christians, and that was the reason he persecuted them.  He believed that as long as there were Christians about it was his duty to hunt them down and punish them on behalf of the Jewish religious authorities of his day.  His good qualities were in a solar eclipse because of the terror he inspired.  Surely there was no hope for this man.  Why would God want him anyway?  He was fighting the Christian church with violence!  There could be no way that he was even desirable to God.

     So we'd conclude.  However, the Scripture seems to contradict that opinion.  An examination of Acts 9 will confirm the unexpected.  This overzealous religious bully was about to experience one of the biggest turnarounds in history.

   Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”  Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.  It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”  So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”  And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one. Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank. (Acts 9:1-9 NKJV)

     An extraordinary turn of events, to say the least.  Saul (wisely) does what he is told, and is baptized and becomes a Christian.  He also gets his sight back, and a changed name.  The murderous Saul became the famous apostle Paul, who wrote large pieces of the New Testament.

     How does such a turnaround occur?  The power of God knows no boundaries.  God has plans for the most hopeless and rebellious of people.  The fact is that Paul wasn't seeking Jesus.  His salvation was not through his own strength.  He simply made the choice, and while his story is not likely to be replicated in every hard-hearted person's life, it does prove that as far as God is concerned there's no one He can't save!

     John Newton was a sinner, and proud of it.  He made it a habit to tempt others to sin.  He was arrogant, and moral abandonment was his order of the day.  He deserted the British navy, and was even a slave trader.  His lifestyle must have seemed very difficult to ever redeem.  Even though he nearly died multiple times he remained hardhearted and continued trying to break down the faith of those around him.  That changed one night when, at sea on a ship, in the midst of imminent peril from a storm he finally believed in Christ.  Nonetheless, he continued in the trade of slaves for some years, and it took time before he matured in faith.  Yet this man would go on to write the most famous hymn ever sung.  Perhaps you know the words to Amazing Grace?  These were penned by a man as sinful as ever there was, who met Jesus in the middle of a tempest.

     The conclusion to be drawn from this is straightforward enough: you are not untouchable.  God can save anyone, because the truth is that as bad as these men were they are no worse off than we are.  In fact, all of us are equally guilty before God.  If God cannot save my wacky co-worker who uses God's name in vain in every other sentence and refuses to even acknowledge the Bible, well I'm in trouble because in reality I was never any better!  

     Paul wrote to the Corinthian church saying "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.  But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:9-10, NKJV, boldface added)

     Since no one's salvation depends on their action, anyone can be saved!  God wants none to perish, and since it's His power that brings people into His kingdom, we can rely on His Son's words.  "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed." (John 8:37 NKJV)

      No one is hopeless.  God has a plan for each one of us.  So pray for those who seem "too far gone".  There's no such thing as hopeless.






(NKJV Means New King James Version)
Sources about John Newton:
The Creation of "Amazing Grace", Last Updated: 02-27-2007, accessed at the Library of Congress at http://lcweb2.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200149085/default.html

John Newton Reformed slave trader

posted 8/08/2008 12:56PM accesssed at Christianity Today at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/pastorsandpreachers/newton.html

None of the above webpages are owned or operated by I-BulldogStudios.

The Will of God Is not Something We Need Sherlock Holmes to Figure Out.

     Have you ever heard of the saying, "Scientists delight in finding things out, God loves hiding them" or something similar to it?  This almost gives the impression that God likes leaving us in the dark.  This idea seems to pervade our thinking.  We all believe it to some degree.  Why?  Why do we believe that God likes hiding things?  Perhaps it's because we can't see what He sees.  Maybe it's because we don't understand what He does.  Whatever our reasons, our perception is inaccurate.  God is not someone who puts things in the dark; He brings them into the light.  After all, He's the Father of lights. (James 1:17) 

     So many times we ask God His will, and how we should act, but then we act (or at least feel) as if He wants us to figure it out on our own, as if we need to find out without His help.  WRONG!  Here's a good example of why: when our parents wanted us to do something we could choose to listen and do what they said, or not.  God is our Father.  When He wants us to do something He will tell us, and then it will be up to us to decide whether we listen or not.  We hear from God and see only glimpses of His will, but these glimpses give us an idea of how to live our lives before Him.  He never leaves us to walk blindly.  Look at Psalm 32:8, where God says:

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will guide you with My eye." (NKJV)

     That's fairly self-explanatory.  The mystery of God's will is just that: a mystery because we don't always understand our part in it, but not a secret we don't get to know.  This doesn't mean we can't disobey God, but it does mean that He doesn't expect us to live our lives and "figure His will out for ourselves".

     So what's the takeaway here?  We don't need to panic about understanding God's will.  God does not delight in confusing His children.  Seek His will, but don't fear that you're completely missing it just because you don't know what to do yet.  He'll tell you.  After all, He's your Father.  Less depends on us than we realize, and more depends on God than we probably can realize.  Look at the following:

How would you like to operate this puppy?  You don't know what it does or how it works, and no user manual would simplify all of it.  Good thing God's the one operating it, not you.  Oh, wait.  God doesn't have a switch directory.  He has His will, and that's definitely not dependent on You.  So loosen up a little.  God loves you too much to purposely hide from you what you need to know and do.  His will for you is not something you need to Google and then look through 12,000 pages to find.  When the time comes, He'll show you His will for you.  Just be sure you're listening by reading His Word, praying, and having a heart willing to serve Him at any cost.  Those are the basics.  Do your best for God and trust Him with the rest.  Live for Him, and He'll do more with you than you could have imagined.




(NKJV means New King James Version)

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