PAUL
PROFILES —-
TRANSFORMED & READY
Paul became a changed man after he met Jesus Christ. He was a known persecutor of Christians, a zealous Jewish religious leader, and a chief enemy of the growing group of followers of Jesus Christ. He even cheered on the murder of Stephen (Acts 7:57–8:1). But then he met Jesus (Acts 9).
Don’t move too quickly past that line!
Meeting and surrendering to Jesus, God’s Son, will change everything about your identity, the meaning of your life, and what your purpose is. Paul—formerly called Saul—was transformed. From the moment he was saved from his sin and realized that Jesus Christ was the Messiah that the Jews had been longing for for centuries, his identity and purpose were completely found in Christ. He went from being the chief hater of Jesus and His church to being the chief lover of Jesus and His church. God used him to take the gospel to the Gentiles all over the world. In fact, Paul is a major factor in how you and I even know Christ today—he wrote most of the books in the New Testament!
THINK & PRAY
GOD CHANGES EVERYTHING
There is a lot to learn from Paul and his walk with Jesus, so let’s take a look at just one reflection and one sharpening challenge.
First, from Paul’s story, we see that God can transform anyone. Anyone who surrenders to Jesus will receive new life and forgiveness for their sins. God is willing to use anyone from any background who has committed any kind of sin. No matter what a person has done, he or she can become God’s servant and be used for His purposes. This takes submission to God’s ways over one’s own ways.
Now, here is the challenge: When you look at your life right now, how do you make decisions about what you value—what you do each week, where you go, the things you put your time and effort toward? Does Jesus have any part of how you think about your identity and purpose? If so, how? If not, is He really Lord over your life? How do you see Him transforming and using you for His purposes?