Friday, February 8, 2008

God Loves a Good Story

Did you ever stop and look at the characters in the Bible? Did you ever stop and look at the ways God chooses to accomplish things? He never just goes from point A to point B. He always weaves a tale. God loves a good story.

Why would he choose a stutterer to be a speaker? A murderer and adulterer to be the person after his own heart? Why did he choose an ordinary girl and young carpenter to be the parents of His son? Ever heard of a young guy named Saul...who later started going by Paul? Now there is a story!

Saul was basically a bounty hunter. He didn't just kill Christians brought before him under orders of his bosses. He sought them out. He hunted for them. And Jesus spoke to him, and blinded him...so he would see...so he would know the truth. Paul went on to write over half of the New Testament. Just think about what his conversion accomplished for the furthering of the Kingdom. God loves a good story.

See, a good story not only grabs your attention. The stories in the Bible, of flawed human beings, much like us, who accomplish incredible things through God, with God, and for God, give us hope. They give us confidence. 'They're no different than me. I could do that. I CAN do that! ' Most of all, a good story, and a changed life, make the presence and power of God undeniable.

Think of the friends and enemies of Paul. They had seen the hatred in his heart. They had seen the murdered bodies that were the product of his hatred for followers of Jesus. And here he is, telling of how Jesus is real. Do you think they thought he just changed his mind? Do you think they thought he was just being wishy-washy? Maybe he was just following the crowd! They knew this wasn't true. There was only one explanation. The reality of Jesus as the son of God was undeniable.

The number of people led to Christ by the story of the life of Paul, and many others, is still growing. And God is writing new stories every day. Is he writing an incredible story in your life? He can and he will if you let him. God loves a good story...and so do we.

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