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- Oct 26, 2007
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So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus. Immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that He is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed, and said, "Is this not he who destroyed those who called on this name in Jerusalem, and has come here for that purpose, so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests?" Acts 9:19-21 NKJV
Imagine a winless NFL team becoming Super Bowl champions the next season. Such a mammoth turnaround only scratches the surface of the change God worked in Saul.
You know the story; a rabid opponent of Jesus attacks the fledgling church. Then Jesus Himself overwhelms Saul with a heavenly light, both physical and spiritual…and the persecutor becomes a preacher of Christ. Going forward, Saul—now known by the Latin name Paul—will suffer cheerfully for Jesus, start churches, write letters that become books of the Bible, and change the world.
Who saw that coming?
Certainly God, for whom “all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). He wanted Paul as His special envoy to the world—and got him. The Lord’s people, who had been under terrible pressure, “had rest and were edified. And…were multiplied” (Acts 9:31). Things got better in God’s mysterious way and timing.
In our own dark world, God still has that power. Remember—with Him, there are no lost causes.
Prayer: Lord, please change my world like You did Paul’s.
Imagine a winless NFL team becoming Super Bowl champions the next season. Such a mammoth turnaround only scratches the surface of the change God worked in Saul.
You know the story; a rabid opponent of Jesus attacks the fledgling church. Then Jesus Himself overwhelms Saul with a heavenly light, both physical and spiritual…and the persecutor becomes a preacher of Christ. Going forward, Saul—now known by the Latin name Paul—will suffer cheerfully for Jesus, start churches, write letters that become books of the Bible, and change the world.
Who saw that coming?
Certainly God, for whom “all things are possible” (Mark 10:27). He wanted Paul as His special envoy to the world—and got him. The Lord’s people, who had been under terrible pressure, “had rest and were edified. And…were multiplied” (Acts 9:31). Things got better in God’s mysterious way and timing.
In our own dark world, God still has that power. Remember—with Him, there are no lost causes.
Prayer: Lord, please change my world like You did Paul’s.
