“LIFE IN A BUCKET FULL OF CRABS"
Several years ago, while fishing off the pier near Ventura, California, not too far from my home, I walked down to the end of that pier and ordered some fresh seafood. While waiting for the order, I stopped to look at this aquarium that was about seven or eight feet long and not all that high. The first thing I noticed was that it was full of large, live crabs. The second thing I noticed was that it had absolutely no lid on it and that one of the crabs was climbing to the top and looked to me like it was going to climb right out of that aquarium. I called out to the owner, "Hey, one of your crabs is about to climb out of there!" He looked at me, kind of smiled and then said, "No. They never get out." "Why," I asked. He replied, "When one of them gets to the top the others will always pull it back down." Then I turned back to the aquarium and watched as the one crab got to the very top of the tank and just as he did so, several others reached up, grabbed at him and, sure enough, they pulled him back down with the rest of them. Life is sometimes the same way. Specially for the believers in Christ who, in trying to separate themselves from the former way of life, only find all too often that something or "someone" always seems to be trying to pull them down...pull them back into that aquarium.
To continue the above story, once I ordered my food, I walked back to the pier and decided to investigate the matter of these crabs further. I walked over to several crab fishermen to watch them fish and noticed that they caught the crabs by simply dropping bait into an open bucket with a rope attached and then placing the bucket under the water. I asked the fishermen, "Don't you need a lid on that bucket to keep the crabs from crawling out after you catch them?" And one of them replied, "No. If one tries to climb out another one will just pull him back in. We don't need a lid." Isn't it ironic that life can be the same way sometimes? So lets talk about "life in a bucket full of crabs."
In our last message, we talked about the topic of "perceived failure and our redemption from it," using the Apostle Peter as an example. However, today we will discuss the topic of "success and the discouragement of others," using the Apostle Paul as our example.
The Apostle Paul was not always a man that served our Lord, Jesus Christ. In fact, he was formerly a very zealous Pharisee, hostile to the Christian faith, and known as "Saul of Tarsus." He once stood by and guarded the cloaks of those who stoned a very righteous Christian man named "Stephen." (Acts 7:58 ) Saul fervently persecuted the Christians of his day and was responsible for having many imprisoned and even killed. (Acts 8:1-3; Acts 26:9-11; Acts 9:1-2) Much like many of us, Saul had a "former life"...a "reputation", if you will. And in that former life he did some very terrible things. In fact, after his subsequent and miraculous conversion to Christ, he reminisced back to those days and called himself "the chiefest of sinners"1Timothy1:15 ). He was admittedly saying that when it came to sin, he was once at the very top of the list. But something happened to Saul that changed his life. As they say on television, "he was about to take a journey into The Twilight Zone."
We read in Acts, chapter 9, verses 1-19 the story about Saul's conversion. Now he was traveling on a road to Damascus with the intent of imprisoning even more Christians. The scriptures tell us that while on the way, Saul had an encounter with Jesus Christ that literally "rocked his world" and forever changed his life. As he was zealously on his way to Damascus, something very dramatic happened to Saul. He saw a bright light from heaven flash that knocked him right off of his horse and blinded him. Then a voice spoke to him asking, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?" "The voice" speaking to Saul then identified Himself to Saul as none other than Jesus Christ. The voice did not simply say, "I am God," or Saul would have been quite confused because he truly thought he was actually serving God when he persecuted the Christians. The Jews believed in God. Most of them did not, however, believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah. So God had to do something special and instead, He sent a "special delivery" message to Saul in care of His Son, Jesus. And Jesus decided to get up close and personal with Saul. If there was ever any question in Saul's mind whether Jesus Christ really rose from the dead after being crucified, this incident and hearing Jesus identify Himself to Saul put that question to rest and answered it. A very badly shaken and also very blind Saul was then led the rest of the way to Damascus where he had even more time to lay up in bed and think about his life, given that he could not see nor do much else anyway, except pray and believe me, that is what he did. Saul's journey out of the bucket of crabs had begun...but not without a little hindrance and opposition. Although Jesus Christ had a plan that involved laying out the welcome mat for Mr. Saul of Tarsus, not everyone else was as quick to jump on the bandwagon. And some of those who were not so quick to believe that Saul had changed were believers who knew all too well his reputation from his past life. We see this in the following scriptures after the Lord sent a message to a man in Damascus named, "Ananias" with regard to Saul.
Acts 9:10-19: - "Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus names Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." And he said, "Behold, here am I, Lord." And the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for behold, he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight." But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Thy saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call upon Thy name." But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." And Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit." And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he arose and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened."
In reviewing the above scripture, we see that a lot of things were going on here. Saul is now in Damascus, quite blind and praying fervently. He apparently was too depressed to eat. Do you think Jesus got his attention? I believe He did. Ananias is sent to Saul to minister to him and restore his sight. Do you think Ananias wanted to go? I think not. Ananias had some questions to be sure, and he argued the point with God. His argument, as we can see, was based on "who" Saul was in his past or former life. God was essentially telling Ananias to minister to him and Ananias was arguing the point and essentially saying, "Why should I? Do you know who this man is and what he has done in the past?" But God answered Ananias and told him to go anyway because no matter what Saul had done, God had chosen him. You see, God heard Saul's prayers as he lay in Damascus badly shaken and blind...even though Ananias had not heard them. God knew that Saul had repented. But sometime in life, even though, like Saul...we also can repent and change, others who are both believers and unbelievers alike may not want to accept "a new you." Like crabs in a bucket, as you attempt to make that escape and climb to the top, they try and pull you back down. Are they sincere? Quite often I think they are very sincere. Ananias did not argue with God about the matter without having good reason. He knew who Saul was and what type of man he had been. He had no reason to believe Saul would ever change. And unfortunately in life, many of us have track records like Saul that make it very hard for others to believe that we are any different now than we have ever been. Yet Jesus is faithful and provides the mercy and grace for a repentful Saul to climb out of the bucket of a life he had been so much part of previously and He also does the same for us. Ananias, being obedient to God, was persuaded to see things His way and he went on to restore Saul. A short time and a little name change later, Saul AKA Paul went on to become one of the great Apostles of the Christian faith.....a reminder to all the doubters from some of our pasts that "your Saul of Tarsus today could well become your Apostle Paul of tomorrow." - something we should all keep in mind when we question whether someone else can really change and begin to judge them based on their past.
We see that there were many doubters in the crowd when it came to the issue of Paul's conversion. In Acts 9:21-26 the scriptures speak about how Paul began ministering the Word of God and although people were amazed at his apparent conversion and knowledge, they still had their doubts and were not really willing to accept him. Verses 21 and 26 of the same chapter read as follows:
21 And all those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, "Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?"
26 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple."
Not everyone was able to or wanted to believe that Paul had changed. When he tried to crawl out of the "ole bucket of crabs" to associate and show that now he too was a disciple, there were some that had something quite different to say about the matter. Their opinions about Paul were obviously not very good ones, as they attempted to pretty much place Paul back in the bucket of his former life from where he had come. They denied that he had really changed at all.
This would be a pretty depressing message if we stopped right here. But for most of us, we know the end of the story. Paul was eventually accepted by most of his peers, if not all of them and he went on to become a mighty man of God who became the writer of most of the New Testament scriptures that we have today. He became a hallmark of fame in the "who's who" of Bible characters. Years later, Paul went on to die for his faith and belief in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Is someone trying to pull you back into the bucket of life that you have tried so hard to crawl out of? Are you being "pigeon holed" as ..."the same old Jane, Joe, Debbie or Steve that we have always known?" Do you hear people express their doubts about you, bringing up your past and trying to discredit everything you believe and stand for in the present? It happened to Paul too. So remember Paul and the grace of God that brought about his change. If God could recreate the hardened Saul of Tarsus and change him into Paul the Apostle, then He can and will recreate you into all that He wants you to be also.
The scriptures say, "If God be for us, then who can be against us." (Romans 8:31)
And in Romans 8:1 we are told that "There is therefore now no condemnation in Christ Jesus."
Also we read in 2 Corinthians 5:17 - "Therefore, if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold new things have come."
I like that. "A new creature." Guess what? You're not a crab anymore. You are a new creature or creation in Jesus Christ, if like Saul, you have repented of the old way you used to live and have asked Jesus into your life. If you have not, then its not too late to do it today.
May God bless you with this Word.
Mischa S. Safdie'
Mischa S. Safdie' Ministries
136 N. Grand Avenue, Suite 278
West Covina, CA 91791
Mischa S. Safdie' Ministries
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