READING: Galatians 1-3
“. . . from my mother’s womb [God] set me apart and called me by his grace.”
Galatians 1:13
Paul’s life prior to his meeting Christ was filled with zeal, but it was unrighteous zeal. In his commitment to his Judaism, he had “intensely persecuted God’s church and tried to destroy it” (Gal. 1:13). He would hardly have been the person that others would assume would become an extraordinary evangelist-missionary. I can just hear people laughing aloud if anyone had made such a suggestion; in fact, there’s a reason Ananias was reticent to talk to him in Acts 10.
But, God was up to something in Paul’s life. Paul was not worthy to follow Christ, but he himself came to realize that God had “from my mother’s womb set me apart and called me by his grace” (Gal. 1:15). At Paul’s birth, and certainly beyond that in the mind of God, God set apart a murderer to be His messenger. Paul would become a trophy of grace, a living picture of the transforming power of the gospel.
God actually works those kinds of miracles often. He moves in our lives as sinners, makes us His children, and turns all the old into the new (2 Cor. 5:17). He makes us a new creation, loved and forgiven. In His grace, He grants us a new beginning. If you have not experienced His forgiveness, I encourage you to turn to Him today by walking away from your sin and trusting Jesus to save you. He can change your life!
ACTION STEPS:
- If you want to hear the story of the gospel in a simple, unique way, click here.
- Thank God for His willingness to draw you to Himself in spite of your wrong.
PRAYER: “God, thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for changing me.”
TOMORROW’S READING: Galatians 4-6
