An Unusual Encounter

There are many people who believe that they have no need to repent. They believe that their commitment to their religious beliefs put them in right standing with God. There was a man, Saul of Tarsus, who believed that his actions placed him in right standing with God.

Saul of Tarsus was a deeply religious man who was devoted to the teachings and  beliefs that he held dear. When there was a new message that violated those beliefs, he took swift action. He said, “I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.” Philippians 3:5-6 NLT) It never occurred to him that he was devotedly wrong.

While he was aggressively stamping out those who violated his beliefs, he had an unusual encounter that changed his life. Acts  9:3-4 says, “As he was approaching Damascus on this mission, a light from heaven suddenly shone down around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”  Jesus spoke to him directly; that encounter cause change to come into his life, when he examined the path, his life was on, he acknowledged that Jesus was the Son if God and he had to forsake the life he knew and make a change.

That process was not easy. He had to forsake the life he knew and embrace a new life following Jesus Christ. The same group he sought to destroy for the message of the gospel; he became a messenger telling others about Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul, Paul was his Greek name, never looked back but served God faithfully through the years.

Thought for Today: Friend, examine your path and if necessary, make a change.

Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory