Acts - Week 5 / Monday

Reading for today: Acts 9:1-19

These verses tell one of the greatest stories of transformation in all of Scripture. In fact, this story of a dramatically changed life is told three times in the book of Acts.

There are a couple of things that just stick out in this story. First, there is the ability of God to radically transform a life. Saul was about as antagonistic to the story of Jesus and His followers as you can get. And yet, one face-to-face encounter with Jesus, and Saul's life would never be the same again.

Granted, not everyone has this kind of personal appearance from Jesus, but the truth is that God's love for each one of us is a persistent love. The last thing Saul ever wanted was to know Christ in a personal way, but in one brief encounter that suddenly changed.

People today still try their best to run from God, and though he may not blind with lights or speak from the sky, He still pursues every man and every woman. And if He is given any chance at all, He will transform that life completely. Many of you who read this know exactly what I am talking about, because it has happened to you.

The second thing that impresses me in this story is the willingness of Ananias to obey God's directive to go to Saul, and pray for his sight to be restored. Saul had a well-known reputation as being a ruthless hunter and persecutor of those who were followers of Christ. So, Ananias was simply showing his humanness in questioning the wisdom of what God asked Him to do.

Nevertheless, God convinced Ananias that going to Saul was the right thing to do, and so he did it. The result was that Saul's sight was restored and he was filled with the Holy Spirit. Interestingly, nothing more is said of Ananias. But Saul would never forget this godly man who was the first believer to call him "brother."

Who do you know that seems to be an "impossible" candidate for God's transformation? Let this story of Saul encourage you to continue praying for that person. You never know when their divine encounter is going to take place!

Tomorrow: The persecutor becomes the preacher!