Acts 9:15
“But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:”
The conversion of Saul must have been one of the highlights of Ananias’ ministry. Watching Saul grow from a young Christian to becoming one of the leaders of the Christian movement must have pleased him very well. Every time the church gave a report about the Apostle Paul it had to thrill his heart.
What can be missed from Saul’s conversion is that Ananias could have missed the opportunity of helping him develop into that chosen vessel of God. Imagine if Ananias would have ignored or refused God’s command to meet Saul in the street. Imagine if Ananias allowed fear to keep him from talking to Saul because of his reputation. Imagine if he was unforgiving of what Saul had done to other Christians. If Ananias allowed any of these things to play a role in his life, he would not have had a part in helping Saul become God’s chosen vessel.
There are people whom God leads across your path daily, but you must be sensitive to the voice of the Holy Spirit if your are going to be used to reach them for Christ. You must understand that every person is a chosen vessel for Christ. They may not become an Apostle Paul, but God has something just as important for them. You must not allow the daily affairs of life to keep you from obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit. You must be willing to set aside your daily affairs when the Holy Spirit speaks to you if you want God to use you to help a chosen vessel.
Moreover, you cannot allow fear to keep you from talking to people. It doesn’t matter what someone’s status or reputation may be, you have to understand that the Holy Spirit is the One Who does the work in the hearts of individuals. If the Holy Spirit spoke to your heart about speaking to someone, then you must set your fear aside and talk to people. The hardest part of putting fear aside is simply getting out the first few words. Simply remember that God is already working in their heart if He has brought that person across your path.
Furthermore, you must be willing to forgive people if you want God to use you to develop people into a chosen vessel. God doesn’t always guide you to talk to people with whom you have no knowledge of their background. What if God wants you to talk to someone who has hurt you? Are you willing to forgive them so that they can be saved or matured into a chosen vessel? You cannot hold grudges if you want God to use you to develop people into chosen vessels.
Every person is a chosen vessel to God. God has a specific task for each person in life, but He needs you to move beyond your fear and obey His Holy Spirit to speak to people. The next time you talk to someone about salvation, remember that they are a chosen vessel. Don’t just lead them to Christ, but follow up and help them develop into that chosen vessel whom God wants them to be. You could be the next Ananias, but you have to listen, obey and not allow fear to keep you from talking to any person.