Good morning, friends.
Our verse for today comes from Acts 9:20, “And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’”
Three is a pretty common number. Our childhood fairy tales were full of threes – Little Pigs, Blind Mice, and the bears of Goldilocks. We see it in our documents of government – Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; Government of the people, by the people, for the people. In sports, three strikes and you’re out, three outs and the inning is over, three goals in hockey or soccer is a hat trick, wrestlers win by pinning their opponent if they hold their shoulders to the mat for three seconds. There were the Three Stooges, the Three Amigos, and Three’s A Crowd. Time is either the past, present, or the future. Three colors on a traffic light. There used to be small, medium, and large before we had to have extra and mega. Three types of utensils. And then there’s the lengthy list of threes that we find in scripture. In that regard, one less apparent three involves the life of Saul. As we know the arc of his life from student of Gamaliel to Pharisee to Christian persecutor to evangelist, it so happens that Saul had three different experiences with the synagogue.
Initially, both as a student and Pharisee, Saul would have had the experience of hearing and teaching the Old Testament scriptures. He learned them, taught them, and lived them out to the utmost. But then, Jesus happened. And Saul’s time in the synagogue went from teaching and explaining to punishing believers and compelling them to blaspheme. But then, Jesus happened, again. On his way to the synagogues of Damascus, Christ gave him a new life. And with that rebirth came a new version of an old mission in the synagogues. Now, he went to their houses of worship with a new message. He still explained the Old Testament scriptures, but now he got the story right. God had opened his eyes to what it all meant and to Whom it all pointed. If the number three is an expression of completeness, then complete was the word from Saul. You may be on your third try, or thirty-third. It really makes little difference to God. He wants you seeking Him, and running back to Him when you fail. On this third day of the work week, don’t wait three minutes longer. Let the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit fill you with faith, hope, and love.
As we seek Him today, give all your heart, your soul, and your mind to loving the King of kings.
Have a triply good Wednesday.
#4 Rich Holt
Dad of Ripken, Koy, TrishaJean, Samantha, Kakie Holiday and Raleigh
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.
