Taking Personal Inventory

Introduction: Everyone has a past, present, and future. What is yours? All believers can look back at the GRACE of God, consider right now the PRESENCE of the Lord, and finally be visionary with unshakable FAITH in the coming days by the Holy Spirit of God.
 
Luke records Paul TAKING INVENTORY while sharing his testimony. Check it out.
 

1. Taking Inventory of the Past! (Acts 26:4–5) – “My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.”

Imagine being stuck in a legalistic lifestyle. Paul was religious but lost. However, did you notice that he uses his past mistakes for future witnessing? Will you do the same?
 

2. Taking Inventory of His Conversion! (Acts 26:13–16) – “At midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee.”

Quite an extraordinary conversion, wouldn’t you say? But after all, our Lord takes ordinary people and does extraordinary things through them for His glory! Can you see that?
 

3. Taking Inventory Up Until That Day! (Acts 26:19–22) – “Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision: But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance. For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come.”

Following through on the Lord’s purpose in your life is absolutely mandatory — that is, if you want to remain usable. Isn’t it a joy to be a part of His plan?
 

Conclusion: Obviously, Jesus Christ turned Paul’s personal testimony (inventory) into a divine opportunity to share his faith in Jesus with the Jewish king Agrippa. Can our Lord turn your troubles into triumph? Your tests into testimonies? Your past failures into future blessings?

If you answered yes, then take a moment to do a Personal Inventory.
 
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese