DIVINE APPEARANCE AND APPOINTMENT

Acts 26:16b

[The Lord speaking to Paul] "...I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you."

If you are reading this devotion the Lord has appeared to you. He has drawn you to Himself and to His Word (the Bible). My words will hopefully encourage you to study and grow deeper in your understanding and personal application of Scripture. So if the Lord has already divinely appeared to you, what then is your appointment? The same as it was for Paul two thousand years ago and is today for you and me: To serve and witness. Let's look at each a little more closely:
Servant Songwriter and musician Bob Dylan once wrote: You may be an ambassador to England or France; You may like to gamble, you might like to dance; You may be the heavyweight champion of the world; You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls. But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed, You're gonna have to serve somebody. It may be the devil or it may be the Lord, But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
I've always felt those lyrics spoke pretty well to the folly of humanity. Most of us don't realize there are truly only two choices -- either we serve the Lord or we are in service to the demands and cravings of our sinful nature. Think about it: What is the source of our sinful nature? If we give in, where does this nature always lead? That's right; it's a path to destruction and separation from God. Serve God or serve Satan, the choice is up to each of us.
Witness Jesus said in Mathew 29:28, "...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Jesus' witness or example to us is His death. In our passage today, Jesus goes on to say that we must also be a "witness of what you have seen of me..." An evangelist friend of mine once told me the best explanation of the Gospel was our personal testimony of what God has done in our own life.
You might ask, "So how does being a servant and witness help me to recover from my particular circumstance (as devastating as it might be)?" The very last phrase of our passage today gives us the answer. When we are serving Him and witnessing to others about what He has done in our lives, then our focus is upon the Lord -- not on our problems ("What you have seen of me"). It is only then the Lord can show us His will ("...and what I will show you"). Isn't that wonderfully simple? When our heart is centered on what He has done for us, it is so much easier for us to see what He has planned.

Before my wife Sherry and I left for a recent mission trip we wrote out our personal testimonies (the short one page version). I can tell you without exaggeration that I used it over 500 times and it was by far the most compelling and interesting thing I had to offer. Yours is too, so take the time right now and write it down. Next, using Jesus as your example, become a servant (look for opportunities to help others) and whenever you can -- share your faith. If you have been depressed, your depression will lift. If you've been demotivated, you'll be surprised at how much energy you now have. And if you've been struggling with direction for your life, the Lord will give you both hope and inspiration -- He will show you His will for you personally.

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