Preparing for God's work

Prepared: ready in body or mind.
That's the motto of the Boy Scouts - Be Prepared

Acts 9:10-19 Saul's conversion and Ananias's efforts that God called.

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 saints 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 carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before 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, 19and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

This Ananias impresses me. He's quite an amazing guy. First of all, he has the Lord come to him in a vision and call his name, and he simply responds, "Here I am, Lord," like this kind of thing happens to him all the time! And who knows, maybe it did. But right there you get a clue of what this guy's heart is all about. You get the feeling he's really saying, "Here I am, Lord, ready to do anything You want me to do! My life is all about serving You!"

Why did the Lord call on Ananias? Because he was prepared. How did he get there? By studying the laws, scripture, and evangelizing in Damascus. Just like any professional in their job, they study, test themselves and continually look for improvement. Whether you are a professional athlete, a teacher, a nurse, a builder, truck driver, or whatever, you must prepare yourself for the job, have the knowledge to complete the assignment, and be ready to be called upon. It is like being a perpetual student, you are always preparing for the next step.

How many of you are familiar with the New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady? Tom has been in the NFL since 2000, he was selected by the Patriots in the 6th round of the NFL draft as the 199th pick overall. At that time he was the 4th quarterback on the team and eventually worked his way up to being the number 2 quarterback behind Drew Bledsoe. When Drew went down with an injury, Tom was called on to step in. Although the Patriots ended up losing that game, they did win the next 2 games as Brady was the starting quarterback. His career, to date, includes 3 Superbowl wins and his list of awards includes 2 Superbowl MVP’s.
Why do I mention him, well HE WAS PREPARED!

This is the first mile, preparation.

So getting back to Ananias; then the Lord tells him to go to a home and lay hands on and pray for the most notorious opponent of the Christian faith known at that time, Saul of Tarsus. He was dedicating his life to ridding the world of Christians through execution and imprisonment, and he had actually come to Ananias' hometown, Damascus, to do just that. What a scary assignment for Ananias! He’s probably thinking, “I know I am on the list of names that Saul is carrying and I’m probably close to the top of that list!”

And what I also appreciate about him is that he was able to humbly and sincerely express his concerns about this to the Lord. But the Lord told him again, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine". And then it says, So Ananias departed, and he did exactly what the Lord asked him to do, and scales fell off of Saul's eyes, and he regained his sight and was baptized. Ananias said, "Yes," and obeyed, he did what he was supposed to do, something that he could do, and God moved mightily and did what only God could do!

Why did Ananias go? Because he was a disciple of God.

Disciple: One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another.

And that's the pattern of life for the Christian who has a "Yes" heart, who makes himself available to God for His use. That person will experience the supernatural power and miracles of God, that person will discover the gifts of the Holy Spirit manifesting in him, that person will know the abundant life of being right in the center of God's will and the joy of being used mightily by Him!

That is going the second mile!

Wow, if we start doing that deliberately every day, do you think that God will start using us more and more, and pouring His power through us more and more? Yes, I really think so! Then, I don’t know about you, but I want to be the kind of person, who hears even the whisper of God's voice, and jumps up and says, "Here I am! Send me." I want to be a person who experiences the presence and power and wonders of God on a daily basis. That kind of heart seems to come from living in a close relationship with God and starting off each day with an intentional proclamation of availability. Something like, “Good morning, Lord! Here I am, ready to be useful to You! Use me for Your glory today!”

John 15:4-5 - Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

So what should we be prepared for? Well, anything that comes along, especially when dealing with God.

Remember to plan ahead–It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.