Dear Family and Friends,

We returned this morning from our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Based on Aileen’s and my experience and the comments made by others, most, if not all, of us are no longer the same persons we were just a mere week and a half ago.

In short, the trip was transforming.

Why? Because Christ, who lives in us, stirred our hearts somewhere along the journey in a very personal way. 

For some, it was in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. For others, it was on the steep pathway to Golgotha, called the Via Dolorosa. Or at Golgotha itself, now inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

My heart was stirred like never before when praying at the Wailing Wall.

Let’s read how Saul described his encounter with Jesus.

“About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ Then I asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,’ the Lord replied.”  ‭‭Acts‬ ‭26‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ NIV

Maybe our encounter wasn’t as dramatic as Saul’s was on the road to Damascus… But it was just as real. And just as impactful.

I’m not suggesting that one has to go to Israel to have a life transforming moment with Jesus. Maybe you had a similar experience when you first met Jesus. Or you felt His presence when engaged in a ministry activity, or a time of solitude.

Regardless of the circumstances, have you ever wondered if there was more to following Jesus than having these moments with Jesus?

Allow me to rephrase it this way: how are we to respond when Jesus stirs our hearts in a life transforming way?

Let’s listen in on what Jesus told Saul.

“Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.”  ‭‭Acts‬ ‭26‬:‭16‬-‭18‬ NIV

Jesus had a plan for Saul who was later called Paul.

And Jesus has a unique plan for each one of us. A plan individually suited to the giftings and passions given us by God. A plan we should respond to with a grateful heart.

God’s plan for us could be grand. Or it could seem small and insignificant in our eyes. Regardless, let me stop here to emphasize that this is not a contest. This is not about comparing our calling to those of others.

Everyone has a role to play. Each one of us is a part of the body of Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 )

And the truth is our Lord is more interested in our hearts and willingness to use our gifts to love and serve others than He is in the results of our works.

In love always,