"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 9:8-9
Saul of Tarsus was his name and he was a persecuter of the early church. Saul was a driven man, driven by his zeal for God. Yet in his zeal for God through the law, he missed the One who fulfilled the law. When Jesus knocked him off of his high horse and flat on his rear, He was setting Saul on the right path, not against His church but as part of the church.
I remember reading about these Asian eagle trainers called Berkutchi. They capture eagles in the wild, tame them, and train them for their own use and purposes. Once captured a hood is placed over the eagle's head, it is then placed in a cage and on a perch that constantly sways so it cannot rest or sleep for two or three days. During this time the eagle is also deprived of food. Also for these 3 days the Berkutchi talks, sings, and chants to the eagle for hours on end. Finally the trainer begins to slowly feed the weakend eagle. Through this process the broken creature comes to rely on its master. Soon the test begins and the trained eagle soars on its wings once again, only now it is broken and fully dependent on its master.
Likewise the Lord dropped, blinded, humbled and isolated and deprived Saul of Tarsus in order to turn him into Paul of Christ.
I find it very interesting that the name Saul means "desired" and the name Paul means "small". You see before God can build a man He must break a man. If you think you're great, God will make you "small" and dependent on Him. Here we see Paul riding on his high horse leading the way to Damascus then suddenly he is now being led by the hand into Damascus, as a little child, no longer leading but following. After we are saved we begin a process in which the Lord begins to break us and humble us, to make us followers before we can be leaders. A time where God by His loving sovereignty refuses to allow us to succeed in our sinful ways any longer. A time where we become blind to the world and deprived of fleshly nourishment. So at the end of it all He can be the light unto our feet, and the bread of life unto our souls! See God's calling comes with a falling.
I remember reading about these Asian eagle trainers called Berkutchi. They capture eagles in the wild, tame them, and train them for their own use and purposes. Once captured a hood is placed over the eagle's head, it is then placed in a cage and on a perch that constantly sways so it cannot rest or sleep for two or three days. During this time the eagle is also deprived of food. Also for these 3 days the Berkutchi talks, sings, and chants to the eagle for hours on end. Finally the trainer begins to slowly feed the weakend eagle. Through this process the broken creature comes to rely on its master. Soon the test begins and the trained eagle soars on its wings once again, only now it is broken and fully dependent on its master.
Likewise the Lord dropped, blinded, humbled and isolated and deprived Saul of Tarsus in order to turn him into Paul of Christ.
I find it very interesting that the name Saul means "desired" and the name Paul means "small". You see before God can build a man He must break a man. If you think you're great, God will make you "small" and dependent on Him. Here we see Paul riding on his high horse leading the way to Damascus then suddenly he is now being led by the hand into Damascus, as a little child, no longer leading but following. After we are saved we begin a process in which the Lord begins to break us and humble us, to make us followers before we can be leaders. A time where God by His loving sovereignty refuses to allow us to succeed in our sinful ways any longer. A time where we become blind to the world and deprived of fleshly nourishment. So at the end of it all He can be the light unto our feet, and the bread of life unto our souls! See God's calling comes with a falling.
- IS THERE SOMETHING THE LORD NEES TO BREAK IN YOUR LIFE? WHAT THING/S DO YOU NEED TO BREAK OFF BEFORE THE LORD STEPS IN AND DOES IT FOR YOU?
- "God uses broken things; broken soil to produce a crop; broken clouds to produce rain, and broken grain to give bread, and broken bread to give strength" -Warren Wiersbe