Are Our Efforts and Our Direction in Alignment?

Acts 9:4

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?"

Saul thought he was doing everything right.  He was on fire for his spiritual cause.  Unfortunately for Saul, his cause was grounded in his own reasoning without a foundation of faith in Jesus and without the direction of the Holy Spirit.  Saul rightfully could claim an A for effort.  But he was being measured by Jesus Christ, not by his effort, but by the misdirection of his efforts.

Just like Saul, as Christians we have all faced the day when the Lord challenged us.  Just like Saul, Our Lord had grounds to accuse us.  Perhaps not of persecuting His church, but He certainly had grounds to rebuke us for the obstinacy and self-will of our sinful nature. 

Like Saul, we decided to denounce our old lives and accept our calling as disciples of Jesus Christ.  Unfortunately, unlike Saul, most of us have not taken our calling with the same fervency that Saul did.  While Saul surrendered his old life and became Paul, the apostle.  We have hung closer to our old nature than the new one that Jesus has for us.

Let us set aside our own plans.  Let us seek God's plan for our lives.  Let us submit to God's plans for our lives with the same fervor that Paul did. 

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank You for drawing us to Your Son.  We praise You for setting aside a perfect plan for our lives in Your kingdom here on earth and in heaven.  We rejoice in knowing that we will serve You for all eternity.  We pray, Lord, that we will not be directed by our own ambitions, but be led by Your Holy Spirit.  We claim Your promise that through Your Holy Spirit, Your strength will be perfected in our weakness.  We beseech You, Father, that You grant us a double portion of Paul's fervor for proclaiming Your Good News to the world.  We pray these things in the name of Jesus Christ, our Blessed Hope and Assurance.