ACTS 9:1-6 – “Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.””

THEME OF THE DAY: HE IS REAL AND PERSONAL.  As we read today’s scripture account of Saul, the Pharisee, becoming Paul, the Christian, what are the riveting details that just stand out and grip our hearts and minds? Here are two, then one that is the lesson of today.

First, the seeking grace of God.  Saul was not looking to become a Christian. He wasn’t riding to Damascus to make a decision for Jesus.  Oh no. Just the opposite. He headed there to round up Christians to take them back to Jerusalem for imprisonment.  Saul did not want to become a Christian. He wanted to end Christianity once and for all.  But the grace of God is no match for the rebellion of a person’s sinful heart and life. Saul, soon to be Paul, was a chosen vessel for the Gospel because of seeking grace.  Remember that for ourselves.  We didn’t seek God. He sought and caught us and then the desire to seek Him took hold in our lives.

Another riveting detail in Saul’s conversion was his response to the Lord Jesus – immediate and total submission.

“Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?””

Saul, now becoming Paul, knew what was at stake. When Jesus calls a person to Himself, it is total.  We don’t come with part of our lives, but all of our lives.  He is Lord, and if Jesus is Lord at all, then He is Lord over all!

A third detail and the lesson of today is easy to miss because we just assume it, but we need to ponder it often.  It is the encounter with Jesus.  This is upfront and personal. This is individual.  This is one on one and of the most intimate of encounters.  Stop and prayerfully observe the real and personal Jesus interacting with Saul.

“As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.””

Granted Saul’s story is extremely dramatic, and we won’t encounter Jesus literally like he did, but our conversion story, and Christian life is just as personal and individual.  We don’t meet and walk with a code of conduct or some religious to do list. We meet and spend the rest of our lives interacting with a living and personal Jesus. He is alive, and to be alive in our daily lives. Is He? If not, start today seeking the living Lord.  The One who is ready to be as personal and intimate with us as we want Him to be.   Remember Saul turned to Paul, and more importantly, remember Jesus is truly alive!

PRAYER: Father, protect me from allowing my walk with Your Son to become routine, external, and mechanical.

REFLECTION: Each day remember we walk with a living Christ, a personal Christ, and a very near Christ.