"He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord,” he answered. The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.” “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.” But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
In this story of Saul, God meets him on his journey and reveals to him a stunning revelation. Saul thinks that he has been doing the Lord's will all along by persecuting those who belonged to the Way (those who believed in Jesus). However, God tells him that He is Jesus. Saul is left blind on the road and for three days neither eats nor drinks. (Imagine, if you have been "thinking" you were doing the right thing all along, but suddenly one day God stops you and says, "Why do you persecute me?") God, however, has a plan for Saul. God calls another disciple Ananias to go to Saul and lay hands on him to restore his sight. Of course, God not only restores Saul's physical sight but also his spiritual eyes. Scales fall off from Saul's eyes. Saul realized that he has sinned against God and becomes baptized into a new life with Christ.
The story of Saul who later is renamed Paul is really the story of God's amazing grace. Saul, a persecutor of Christians, becomes Paul, a martyr for Christ, who ends up spreading the Gospel all across Asia minor and Europe. In fact, Paul is often credited to have spread the cause and Gospel of Christ more than any other disciple. God's grace teaches me that God can use all things for His good and His glory. Even those who persecute the Church, God can turn the hardest of hearts into the most passionate for His name. This means for me that even if I were to go against God...He would never abandon me but instead He is always looking for the opportunity to reach out with His amazing grace. I hope that God's grace also touches your life today.
If you would like to learn more about God's amazing grace, I would encourage you to continue reading the book of Acts. If you want a look inside Paul's heart and thoughts, I would read Philippians 3:1-14 to see just how deeply Paul's life was changed by Jesus Christ. Finally, if you would like to watch a movie check out Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce, who helped abolish slavery in England.
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