Begin with two minutes of stillness and silence before God.

Paul was a murderer. However, he became one of the greatest leaders of his time for the Christian faith. In today’s passage of scripture, we see Paul defending himself to the government and people who want him killed. He begins to explain who he is and where he came from.

As we all know, Paul’s story is one of spectacular forgiveness and redemption. He was a man who hated Christ's followers. He was so sure that this Jesus was a fraud. He hunted Christians down, jailed them, and even partook in killing them. But as we know, Jesus had other plans for Paul. Jesus blinded Paul on a road to Damascus and from that moment flipped his life upside down. Suddenly Paul saw the truth that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. He was the Messiah. He did come and die on the cross to save us from our sins and walk out of the tomb on the third day. When this became clear to Paul, he pursued God’s will and taught as many people as he could about Jesus. Not only was Paul a new man, but he no longer feared preaching to people who hated him or wanted him dead.

I encourage everyone to see even deeper into Paul’s story. Yes, Paul’s life shows us that God can use anyone. Your background does not matter. Your past mistakes do not matter. Anyone can come to Christ and follow Him. That said, it’s important to understand what that means. Jesus will absolutely forgive us of our sins, but He demands something else as well.

To follow Him, we must turn from our sins and repent. In verse 16 it says, “And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His name.” Paul didn’t just educate himself about Jesus. He turned from his sin and pursued a life following Him. We all know that Jesus will forgive, but just like he told the woman at the well, we must “go and sin no more”. To live the fulfilling life God has for us, we must turn away from the sin that controlled us and live for Christ! Paul had such an incredible ministry because he realized his faults and turned from them letting Jesus guide his future. That doesn’t mean he never sinned again. But it does mean his new life did not resemble his past! What a story!

Take two minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Is there sin in your life you need to let go of?
  
• Is there an area of your life where you need to let Jesus take control?
  
• Take a moment to pray and ask God to remove anything in your life that does not bring Him glory. Ask Him to guide you down the path He has planned for your life.