From Darkness to Light [Acts 26]

13at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. 14"And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.'15"And I said, 'Who are You, Lord?' And the Lord said, 'I am Jesus whom you are persecuting. 16'But get up and stand on your feet; for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness not only to the things which you have seen, but also to the things in which I will appear to you; 17rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles, to whom I am sending you, 18to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.'19"So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

    Paul's encounter with Jesus turned his life inside out! Jesus gave Paul a brand new purpose, one that radically changed everything in his life. Just imagine how his co-workers, his community, his students, family and friends reacted to that change in Paul. Nothing about his life was able to remain the same. Jesus changed everything. Paul's passion for persecuting Christians became a passion for sharing the gospel so that others could believe in Jesus.
    Becoming a Christian means radical change. What could be more radical than consistently walking toward darkness one day and then consistently walking toward the light the next? Or what bigger change could there be in a life than to leave the dominion of Satan and enter God's kingdom?
    We, too, like Paul have a new purpose to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me. It is only by an encounter with Jesus and an on-going relationship with Him that we can be passionately radical in our lives like Paul. Jesus alone can cause and sustain that sort of new life in us.

We praise you God for Your power to change lives through Jesus. Cause us to embrace that new life and to grow in our relationship with Jesus so that we can live for You and spread the good news that Jesus changes everything!

Beth Warlick, 8/6/2009

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		Hayley Williams (Guest)	10/31/2018 10:15
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