OBEDIENCE TO THE HEAVENLY VISION

Acts 26:19-20

"So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds."


In our passage today, Paul received a pretty clear "heavenly vision" from God (his "vision from heaven"):
Who? Jews and Gentiles.
What? Preach repentance and a turn to God; and proving repentance by deeds.
When? Always now -- when Paul got an order from God he acted upon it immediately.
Where? First in Damascus (Paul's location when he first received the vision), then in Jerusalem and all of Judea.
Why? Proving of his faith through obedience.
Last night my wife and I were out to dinner with some friends when the conversation turned to the general topic of the Lord's vision for our lives (the "what" question from above). One of our friends, Dave said he had been working on his for awhile and it was very simple: "Connect people to one another and to God." I think that's beautiful in both its simplicity and clarity, not to mention it completely captures the essence of Dave's personality: For example, whenever someone brings up a subject he immediately begins to think of others with similar interests. He's a great "people network" kind of person who sits on multiple boards, truly knows just about everyone, and is always helping people to connect. God gave Dave his very own unique "heavenly vision" and Dave has been faithful to it ever since.
While Dave was talking I couldn't help think about what my heavenly vision might be. No sooner had the thought crept into my mind than I had it: "Help people to apply Scripture in their everyday lives." That's it -- my own personal "heavenly vision."


Hopefully you agree the writing of these devotions is proof of my obedience to the "vision from heaven" for my life. What about you? What is your "heavenly vision"? Have you been obedient? When will you start? It only takes a small effort to begin. Will you take the first step today?

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