“When you least expect it, you’re elected, you’re the star today. Smile, you’re on Candid Camera!” That was a show that aired from 1960-1967. They would set people up in odd and awkward situations, and after the person was dealing with the awkward situation, then they would spring the truth on them.

I thought about this after my recent study in Acts 9. Saul aka the Apostle Paul, was out doing what he felt God wanted him to do, as described in the Scriptures below. One day, when he least expected it, God elected Him to salvation. His life was forever changed….for the better! He never looked back, but continued serving God in truth for the rest of his life.

Acts 9:1-8: “Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 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. As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

The account doesn’t end there. Another man, who was going about his daily business, was elected by God to go to Paul, and with the laying on of his hands, God would restore Paul’s sight:

Acts 9:9-19: “In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem.  And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.”

How about you? Are you one of God’s elect, one of His chosen people? Have you responded to His invitation to eternal life? 

Your invitation may not be dramatic like the Apostle Paul’s, but God wants you to have an eternal relationship with Him.  He wants you to walk with Him in truth and integrity. He wants you to obey Him, no matter the challenging situation, such as Ananias above had. 

The Bible is filled with accounts of people who have accepted God’s call to eternal life. There are also numerous accounts of those who have died without accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Election. Choice. These are very difficult Biblical truths to fully understand. But God wants us to accept them by faith. He wants us to trust Him with our lives, and the lives of our loved ones. 

God doesn’t want us to get hung up on what our finite minds cannot fully comprehend. He wants us to walk humbly with Him. He wants us to walk united with our brothers and sisters in Christ, not divided over what no one can fully explain [though many have and continue to try].

God wants us to be grateful that we can have a true, abiding [John 15] relationship with Him. We cannot fully abide if we are divided. 

How can we possibly represent God well to the world if those of us who belong to Jesus are not of one heart and mind over the tenets of our faith? 

What matters is that we believe that Jesus is God’s one and only Son [John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”.]

What matters is that we believe that He is the only way to salvation [John 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”].

What matters is that we believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit [Matthew 28:19: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,”].

What matters is that we believe Jesus is coming again! This is the source of our hope. Matthew 24:44 tells us that Jesus will return unexpectedly: [“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”]

What matters is that we believe we are sinners, and without Jesus, we would all be headed into eternity completely separated from our great God [Romans 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”].

What matters is that we believe we are responsible to share the Great News of the Gospel with others. This is what we are elected to do. We are called to be responsible members of God’s kingdom. [Mark 16:15: “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”]

What is God asking you to do for His kingdom? What will Jesus find you doing when He returns suddenly, will He find you doing what He elected you to do? 

We are not only called to be a star for a day, as in Candid Camera, but to be a shining light every day for His glory.  

Please contact me at: ButGodCares@gmail.com if you want to talk about eternal life, and God’s call to walk with Him.

Living for Jesus, Donna

P.S. If this has helped you, please feel free to share it with others!

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Copyright 2023 Donna Shappy   All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other – without the prior permission of the author.