REFOCUS
The 23rd Psalm contains many phrases that make for rich and life-giving meditations through breath prayers. Here is one to use for today:
You make me lie down in green pastures
You lead me beside still waters. (vs2)
READ
Acts 9:1-6
Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest
2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem.
3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.
4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied.
6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
Luke 24:13-35
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;
16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.
20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him…”
25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther.
29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight.
32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
I John 5:19
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.
REFLECT
Crossing the Border
There is likely no more important decision than the one of receiving Christ as our Savior. It ushers us into the Kingdom of God and spiritually is the difference between life and death. Still, I sometimes meet believers who are concerned that they are not really “saved.”
I’ve often thought that the people most likely to worry about their salvation are ones who least need to. The worry itself, is often a sign that they deeply desire to please God and He is at work in them.
As I’ve worked with these folks, I find that my intuition is often right. Many times, when we discuss their spiritual journey, I discover that their doubts stem from comparing their experience to others. Others Christians have marvelous and wonderful testimonies of conversion.
When these “high-octane” converts met Christ it was in the midst of their darkness and the experience was like a bright light turning on. Everything seemed changed in an instant. They may have had profound experiences of joy, even ecstasy, hither-to-fore unknown to them. Often, they can tell you the exact day, and even the moment when they met Jesus and everything changed.
In contrast to these, the conversion of those questioning their spiritual state seems drab and bland. Often, they’ve grown up in the church, excepting at face value that Jesus died for their sins, that he rose from the dead, and that he’s coming back again. They’ve sacrificially given themselves to the work of God through their local church – surrendering their time, talents and resources to advance the kingdom.
They’ve experienced the presence of God in worship, and His help and leaderships in times of trouble. Still, they are unable to point to an exact day or even a single experience where they crossed over. There was no zap or pop or sizzle to their conversion. Now they wonder why… If something is wrong… if they don’t measure up.
Washington Gladden, a famous pastor in the late 1800’s was like this. As a young man he was tortured by these same questions. He believed that he was a sinner who needed to except Jesus as his Savior. He prayed repeatedly to be saved. Yet, each time nothing seemed to happen.
As a result of the revivalism around him that put a premium on profound conversion experiences and dramatic testimonies of transformation, he never felt that his spiritual life measured up to others. He never could find or feel what others did. Finally, he met a pastor whom he described as “clear-headed and caring.”
This pastor instructed Gladding that if he would trust in God‘s love demonstrated on by Jesus’ work on the cross, and “walk in faith,” i.e. live according to the example of Jesus, he could be certain of his relationship with God – whether his Christian journey looked like others or not.
The conversation set Gladden free. Rather than doubt he could now celebrate what God had done for him, not based in the intensity of his feelings but in the promise of God. Gladden continued to serve Christ for the rest of his days, caring for his flock, focusing on how Christian faith connected with social issues of the day and writing hymns such as the famous, “Oh, Master, Let Me Walk With Thee.”
It strikes me that Luke in his gospel and in the Book of Acts provides two different experiences of people coming to believe in Jesus as their Savior. Both involve a road. One is the famous road to Damascus on which Saul, the enemy of Christianity, meets Jesus and is converted. He is knocked to his knees, hears a loud voice, is blinded by a bright light and instructed what to do next. It is a powerful experience of immediate change.
The second road is the one leading to Emmaus. On it, two discouraged but hopeful people of faith encounter Jesus. At first, they don’t recognize him. Yet as they walk with him, they learn from him. They share their deepest cares concerns and fears with him and he instructs them and molds their thoughts. They invite him home with them to continue their conversation over dinner. It is only after a continued time of sharing with him that they finally recognize him “in the breaking of the bread.”
C. S. Lewis compares this second pattern of conversion to a train that is traveling between two countries. At some point the train will cross the border. It is a clear and certain line that separates the two. But suppose the passengers are asleep or preoccupied during the crossing.
Suppose that the border is not well-marked, or that their view is blocked. Though they may not recognize it, they have now entered a new land. It is a clear fact, even if they are uncertain or unaware.
So it is with God’s kingdom. Some enter it with great fanfare and excitement. They can mark the very moment when they crossed over. Others’ entry is less obvious. They can say with certainty that they belong to Christ, yet they may not be able to point out the exact day and time when it first happened. What is important however, is that they have entered the Kingdom.
Comparing our faith experience with others can be very dangerous. Although the essentials of Christian faith and salvation remain the same, God deals with people in different ways. He is the author of salvation and He meets us where we are to provide what we need.
The important thing is that we, as Gladden’s pastor advised, “trust Him and walk with Him.” If we will trust his promise of salvation and follow Him, it is a walk that will take us into a land that begins here and whose borders stretch to eternity.
RESPOND
Questions to Consider
- How confident are you in your salvation?
- Has your experience been more like the Damascus or the Emmaus road?
- Are there times when you have compared your spiritual journey to others?
Prayer
The Epistle of John tells us “by this you can know that you have eternal life.” Although we may not be certain of the time or day it IS important is that we are sure we have crossed over. If you are one who has doubts or concerns about your salvation the following prayer can help you put doubt to rest and move on in confidence. Say it to start your walk with Christ or say it as someone who has been walking with Him for a long time. Either way, continue to trust Him, walk with Him and rest in His promise.
Lord Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sin and rising again so that I can have a relationship with you now and forever. I am sorry for the times I have tried to live life on my own. According to your promise that anyone who asks will receive, please hear my desire to follow you, forgive me of my sin, and send your Holy Spirit to give me strength. Right now in this moment I trust that I am yours and you are mine, forever. AMEN.
Below is Washington Gladden’s hymn. Make the words of it your own prayer:
O Master, Let Me Walk With Thee
O Master, let me walk with thee
In lowly paths of service free;
Tell me thy secret; help me bear
The strain of toil, the fret of care.
Help me the slow of heart to move
By some clear, winning word of love;
Teach me the wayward feet to stay,
And guide them in the home-ward way.
Blessings,
Rev. James R. Needham, PhD, MDiv