READING: Acts 20:4-23:35
“I am Jesus of Nazareth.”
Acts 22:8
Perhaps you grew up in a Christian home. Your parents and grandparents were believers, and they trained you in the teachings of the Lord. Church was very much a part of your life. Your Christian conversion was the next natural step in your growth. Someone had been praying for you to see your need, and God answered that prayer.
On the other hand, some of us were not raised in a Christian home, and God had to “capture” us somewhere along the way. In few ways can we equate our conversion experience with Paul’s, but God “captured” him, too. He was on his way to Damascus to harm Christ-followers, and something dramatic happened: “As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about noon an intense light from heaven suddenly flashed around me” (Acts 22:6). To Paul’s surprise, Jesus met him there in that light, called him in his blindness, and told him to go to Damascus to learn more. So vivid was the event that Paul’s life was never the same. He who had been a persecutor became a preacher.
So, our conversion experiences can be quite different from others; ultimately, however, anyone who is saved is a miracle. Indeed, we sit among miracles every time we gather as a congregation. We’re trophies of God’s grace, evidence of the transforming power of the gospel. It may not have been a bright, blinding light that caught our attention, but the same Jesus who saved Paul saved us, too. To Him be the glory!
ACTION STEPS:
- Praise God for whatever means He chose to grab you with the gospel.
- Tell your conversion story to somebody today.
PRAYER: “God, You’re a powerful, miracle-working God. Praise You!”
TOMORROW’S READING: Acts 24-26
