In many ways Saul of Tarsus was a terrorist. He hated Christians, He hated Jesus, and He hated the Church. Because of this he engaged himself in a one-man extermination project, a mission to rid the world of Christians. And, he was good at what he did. Christians feared him, and knew that should their paths cross, Saul would do whatever was necessary to rid the world of that pesky Christian sect. Prison or death, it mattered not to Saul. As long as Christians were silenced the work was worth it.

On the road to Damascus one day to do his work there, Saul made a huge mistake. He stumbled onto Jesus Christ, and Jesus shook the foundation of Saul’s world, lifted him out of his sin and rebellion, transformed him within, and called him to become one of those pesky Christians, whom he used to hate.

One of the next things on Saul’s agenda was to convince the Christian community that his conversion was really real. I mean, can a man really change? Really? Can grace work that kind of miracle? Understandably it took some time for the Church to assess and evaluate and to conclude that something profound and divine, even supernatural, had transpired in Saul’s life. But, God’s grace is amazing and they began to say of Saul, “He who once persecuted us is now preaching the faith which he once tried to destroy.” Then Saul, who had been given a new name, Paul, said, “They were glorifying God because of me” (Gal. 1:23-24).

Isn’t that a wonderful story; from a hater of Christ to a disciple, a follower of Christ. And, in it all we see that God can break into a life that is hardened and make it soft, tender, and open. This gives me hope. God is all-powerful, and He is at work in the human situation.

How is your story going?