From the archives of Oral Roberts
If anyone was ever a living example of his own words, it was Paul when he wrote, If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (II Corinthians 5:17).
Although you may not have been impressed by Saul’s small stature had you noticed him on the road to Damascus that day mentioned in Acts 9, you undoubtedly would have been awed by his big reputation and the number of persons he had put in prison, the number of families he had separated, and the lives that had been taken, all because of his zeal against the church of Jesus Christ. Yet here he was again on his way to the Pharisees in Damascus to seek their help to arrest any follower of Christ found there.
Proverbs 16:9 NKJV says, A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps. And so it was with Saul. On his way to Damascus, a great light from heaven shone down upon him. Falling to the ground, Saul heard a voice saying, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?” “Who are you, sir?” Saul asked. “I am Jesus,” the voice said, “the one you are persecuting!”And, according to his own testimony, that day Paul was turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God and given an inheritance among those who were sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 26:18).
Who would have guessed, looking at Saul’s past, that he would someday, become Paul the apostle, the chosen prince of the Gospel? But that’s how it is when you are in Christ. When you’re in Christ, God looks at you through the eyes of His Son Jesus. When you’re in Christ, your future is not limited by your past. That’s because when you’re in Christ, the old life is gone. A new life has begun!
