Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:13-14)
Apostle Paul was called the Saul of Tarsus before he became a follower of Jesus Christ. He wasn’t one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and neither did he ever meet Jesus, while Jesus was on earth. He was a persecutor of Christians until one day he had a supernatural encounter with Jesus. In Acts 9: 4-6 we see, “And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.”
Once, this happened Jesus called Saul of Tarsus into ministry and he became Paul the Apostle. Jesus said to Paul,” …for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen…” (Acts 26:16).
Apostle Paul and his passion for the Lord caused him to take the Gospel around the world. Most of the New Testament are letters of Apostle Paul to the different Churches, he led. He didn’t just become a disciple of Jesus, he raised disciples of Jesus around the world. He may not have walked with Jesus through the streets of Israel, but he truly walked with Jesus in Spirit and Word. Paul did not let his past overshadow the fact that he was chosen by God. His powerful statement in Philippians 3:13-14 throws light on it: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”
As Christians we must also learn to embrace the grace, we have received in the Lord Jesus and leave our past behind, and press towards the mark for the prize of high calling. We must let the Lord use us, and change ourselves as his spirit leads us. It’s through the Spirit of God, that Apostle Paul changed from a man of religious hate and violence to a man of love. Let the Spirit of God lead you as per the will of God, and transform you through His Word.
Prayer:
Dear Father, I thank you that your grace causes me to move forward. I leave my past behind and move ahead living for God’s glory. The Holy Ghost lives in me; He works in me! He carries out His ministry through me, in Jesus’ Name. Amen
