Complicating Ministry

SCRIPTURE: Acts 9:6 So he, trembling and astonished, said, "Lord, what do You want me to do?" Then the Lord said to him, "Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do."

OBSERVATION: The beginning of ministry for Paul the Apostle! Note that the very first thing that God told him to do was, "Go into the city." But then God actually made it difficult for Paul to accomplish what he was told because God made him blind. It seems like a simple enough of an assignment until the Lord complicates it.

We wrongly assume that if God tells me to do something then He will work some magic to make it easier to do, not harder. But that is not the case. We let this thinking guide us so that if something is hard we assume, "I must not have heard God properly."

I think it is also important to note that God made sure that, even to fulfill this very first of many directives, Paul would need the help of other people. People that would help him up and guide him by the hand to his destination. This was a hallmark of Paul's ministry -- relying on other people.

APPLICATION: Two points of application:

1- Don't assume that if Jesus said to do something that it will be easy to do. Sometimes He may even make it harder.

2- Rely on others. It's okay to be led around by the hand. We all have blind spots and need the guidance of others. Later Paul was again led by the arm and assisted, this time by Barnabas. Not because of his blindness, but because others were blinded by his past reputation.

PRAYER: Jesus, rid me of this wrong expectation that ministry would be easy and always fruitful. I'm usually groping around in the darkness. I'm in good company with Paul. Amen.