March 26 (Acts 9:13, 15)
But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard
from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem.”
But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen
instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.” (ESV)
The
1980s saw the heyday of hair metal music.
Bands like Stryper, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake filled arenas, but few
could rival W.A.S.P. for vulgarity, both in lyrics and stage shows. So imagine my surprise when I read that
W.A.S.P. lead singer and guitarist Blackie Lawless had surrendered his life to
Christ. He stated in a 2015 interview, “My
faith centers on Jesus Christ and The Bible and nothing else,” and the band’s
song “Golgotha”
crescendos to a chorus line that cries, “Jesus, I need you now.”
Friends, this is
just one of countless stories of lives transformed by Jesus Christ. Pray for the owners and patrons of the adult
bookstores and strip clubs that you drive by.
Pray for the politicians that you skewer in private conversations and
social media. Pray for the members of
ISIS that are even this day “breathing threats and murder” as Saul once did.
Do you have the
board game or the app “Holier Than Thou?”
I do, and I love to play it. I
love to shake my head with my friends as I lament this or that in our
culture. I love to make snarky comments
in complete safety against the ills of our day.
It makes me feel as if I am doing something, a true soldier in the
culture wars. Nonsense. You know what would really make a
difference? Hitting my knees in
prayer. Can you just imagine what would
happen when some of the vilest, most violent people in the world cry out, “Jesus,
I need you now,” with each and every one of us?
Thank You for saving me, Lord. Thank You for healing and continuing to restore the broken places in my life even as You lead me toward eternal life with You. Today I stand boldly before Your throne on behalf of those who are bringing death and destruction and sin to our world. As their names and faces come to mind, I lift them to You. Make them Your chosen instruments to carry Your name before the world. In the great and might name of Jesus, amen.
Copyright © 2017 by Steven R. Perkins
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