SEPTEMBER 18
MATTHEW 7:4_and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
According to Zechariah 2:8 (KJV), God considers Israel as the apple of His eye, “For thus saith the Lord of hosts; After the glory hath he sent me [an angel] unto the nations which spoiled you [Israel]: for he that toucheth you [Israel] toucheth the apple of his [God’s] eye.”
Paul saw Israel and the Jews as the apple of God’s eye. He saw Christians as a blot in God’s eye. He could not see the true blot – his own sect, the Pharisees.
God saw the fervor with which Paul attacked Christians. And because God sees the heart, it was clear Paul’s fervor came from love and devotion to God. It was that love and devotion which caused God to choose Paul (not the other way around) to become a two-fold fixer for His beloved Israel.
God used Paul’s great zeal to publically proclaim Jesus as the Messiah. This cleared away the beam from the eyes of any Pharisees with a true heart for God. God also used Paul’s zeal to bring salvation to the Gentiles – the Messiah died for the Gentiles as well as the Jews.
Because Paul was so far off the path, God used a big stick (discipline) to straighten him out.
Then God used Paul in an amazing way.
PRAYER
Holy God, Please use my zeal to share Your truth. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.
Christ chooses to use me in the world—I will let Him!
The Works of Her Hands 