From Doubted to Trusted

07 Mar From Doubted to Trusted

Read Acts 9:20-30 (NLT)
Thought for the Day: God is greater than any evil in this world!

After starting as an opponent of the Early Church, the man who we now know as the Apostle Paul was stopped in his tracks by a vision of Jesus. This led to his personal confession of faith and baptism. Not everyone was immediately convinced. Initially, Ananais, the man who baptized Paul (known then as Saul) had concerns. While his personal fears were put to rest, they were quickly shared by others. Many began to wonder whether Saul was merely a double agent sent to do them harm. To say that Saul’s faith was DOUBTED is an understatement…

Then something amazing happened. A man named Barnabas spoke up for Saul. While his real name was Joseph, he had been given the nickname Barnabas which means “son of encouragement”. Rather than joining in with the fear and negative group-think of others, Barnabas trusted that God had worked a miracle in Saul’s heart: “Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.”

What made Barnabas different from everyone else? They all could only see an obstacle because they knew Saul had persecuted the first Christians. Barnabas knew God was greater than Saul’s past and his previous hatred. That is why Barbaras took a leap of faith. Because of Barnabas, Saul was soon trusted by others.

Do we see obstacles or opportunities to trust God? Do we find ourselves paralyzed in fear or do we know that God is greater than all of our fears? Whenever life seems to make no sense, let’s remember that God is far greater than any evil present in our world.

In Christ,
Pastors Stan and David