"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." Acts 9:8
One thing that most certainly gets in the way of our obedience to God is our pride. When pride seeps in and takes over, we tend to ignore God and focus on ourselves and what we want. Sometimes to get our attention, we have to be humbled. This was undoubtedly the case of a man named Saul in Acts 9.
Acts 9 tells the story of a man named Saul who was on his way to arrest followers of Jesus in Damascus when Jesus Himself interrupted him. While on his way to Damascus, a bright light shone on Saul and asked, "Why are you persecuting me?" (verse 4). It was Jesus who said this to him. Jesus told him to get up and go to Damascus, where he would be told what to do (verse 6). When Saul stood up and opened his eyes, he realized that he was blind. The people traveling with him "led him by the hand to Damascus" (verse 8). "He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink" (verse 9). This was a truly humbling moment for Paul, who went from a completely independent man with a plan to arrest Christians to a man who needed help getting everywhere. And yet, it was in this moment of humility that God captured his attention.
Have you ever been in a similar situation? Have you been living for yourself and choosing to disobey God when you were completely humbled? It is never fun to be humbled, but moments of humility teach us so much. They grow us. They remind us that we are not in control. These, my friends, are the moments where we grow. The truth is, we do not have to wait for humbling moments to live in humility. We can choose humility now so we do not have to go through humbling moments. So let's choose humility today.
Take some time to evaluate your life. Ask God to help you identify any pride in your life that has crept in. As God answers this prayer and reveals any pride, be ready to turn away from it. Ask God to help you reject that pride and live in humility instead. Acknowledging your pride and repenting of it is the first step towards humility.
Acts 9:6-9 (NLT)
"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men with Saul stood speechless, for they heard the sound of someone’s voice but saw no one! 8 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. 9 He remained there blind for three days and did not eat or drink."
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