Acts9 : Saul’s Conversion

Chapter nine starts out talking about Saul and how he was threatening Jesus’ disciples. Saul was a horrible man- a man who persecuted and murdered Christians. But he was about to be changed. As he was on his way to Damascus to take Christians prisoners, a light from heaven flashed and he fell to the ground. Then he heard the Lord speak to him. He told him to go into the city and wait to be told what he must do. This part astonishes me…Saul a man who was on his way to take Christians as prisoners not only heard God but knew it was him. Saul…the same man who killed Christians knew the voice of the Lord. When he heard the voice he said “Who are you, Lord”. He knew it was God speaking to him and he followed what God told him to do.

God told him to go into the city and wait. Then God spoke to a man named Ananias. He told Ananias to go to the house of Judas and ask for the man from Tarsus named Saul. Ananias had heard of this terrible man before. He knew what Saul was like and I am sure the last thing he wanted to do was go and find him. But God told him that Saul was his chosen instrument. Saul was going to be used mightily to carry His name before the Gentiles and before the people of Israel. Ananias obeyed God. He went and found Saul. Let’s thinks about Ananias for a moment. What if he would had been too scared of Saul and not obeyed what God had told him to do? What if he decided he was not the person to do it? What if he had left it up to someone else to go and find Saul? Little did Ananias know; this man was going to be a warrior for God. He was going to preach the word like had never been done before. He was going to rise up and risk his entire life to tell people about Jesus!! What if someone we have contact with could be the next Saul? Everyone else could see them as horrible and terrible but you could see them as a child of God . You could witness and disciple them. You could help them become everything that God has called them to be. We need to be more like Ananias!! We need to obey God. We need to go and share the gospel no matter the cost.

When Ananias went to the house where Saul was he healed him, filled him with the Holy Spirit, and baptized him. Saul immediately spent several days with the disciples. The Bible says “at once” he began to preach in the synagogues telling everyone that Jesus Christ was the Son of God. Everyone was astonished, for they knew of Saul’s past. They knew that he was the one who took prisoners and persecuted anyone who was a Christian. I love this part of Acts. Too many times we think that we cannot be used by God because we don’t know enough about him. Maybe we were just saved and do not know his word well enough. Maybe you think that you will never be good enough for God to use you because of things in your past. But Saul shows us that immediately God forgets your past. Immediately, as soon as you are saved, you can start doing great things for God!! God forgives you, forgets your past and expects you to begin living your life for him. If God did it for Saul he will do it for you too!!!

In His Love ~ Karissa