Today’s reading is from Acts 22 and Galatians 1-2.
In Acts 22 Paul is recounting his meeting with Jesus. Prior to becoming a follower of Jesus, his name was Saul and he persecuted those who claimed to be Christ followers. He was know for imprisoning and beating them. Until Jesus stopped him as he was travelling to Damascus.
Acts 22:6-10 “As I was travelling to and near Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me ‘Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?’ I answered ‘who are you Lord’? He said to me ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene, the one you are persecuting. Then I said ‘what should I do Lord’? And the Lord told me, “Get up and go into Damascus and there you will be told about everything that is assigned for you to do”.
This was the turning point for our hero of the Bible, Paul. This was the day that he turned his life around and started promoting Jesus instead of destroying Him. He was used in mighty ways because of his obedience and brought many to faith in Christ in spite of his past. Or was it because of his past that he was able to connect with so many? He was an unlikely choice, an enemy of Jesus, but Jesus chose him anyway.
Paul went on to encourage others in their faith by visiting and writing letters to them. The book of Galatians was written to the churches in southern Galatia, founded on Paul’s first missionary journey, and Christians everywhere. The purpose of the book was to call everyone to faith and freedom in Jesus Christ and to tell them that they are not bound by the Jewish law in order to be saved. He was the perfect choice to bring the Gentiles to faith because he had been on the other side of it for so long. This post doesn’t begin to detail the life of Paul. He was deeply convicted after his meeting with Jesus to tell others but it also meant pain and suffering for him. It was not an easy life, but he knew Jesus was worth it.
Paul says in Galatians 2:20-21 “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives within me. So I live my life in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not one of those who treats the grace of God as meaningless. For if we could be saved by keeping the law, then there was no need for Christ to die.”
What is your “come to Jesus” story? Most likely you weren’t “blinded” on the way to work or in a direct conversation with Jesus, but we all have the day we decided to choose Him and be obedient. These stories are important to share with the people around us because they show radical life change through Jesus. There is probably someone around you that would benefit from your story. There is never a story too small or too big, especially when it points others to Jesus. Find someone you can encourage with your story.
“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever, amen.”
Galatians 1:3-5
Shelly