WEDNESDAY November 22, 2023
Jesus of Nazareth
“Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me. And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ So I answered, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’ ”
Acts 22:6-8
Remember, in order to be an Apostle in the Church, the qualification was to have seen the resurrected Christ. This is the reason Jesus appeared to Saul, now known as Paul; otherwise, he could not be an apostle. He had a divine experience; he literally came to know Jesus! Mighty Saul fell to the ground. He asked the Lord who He was. Saul needed to know that when he persecuted Christians, he was persecuting Jesus of Nazareth!
There are no coincidences. Sometimes, this is exactly how God works in a person’s life. I had my own conversion experience. I stood motionless, unable to speak, as I listened to Chuck Smith teaching on the television. He spoke about the Holy Spirit and who Christ was. Every word was like an arrow hitting my heart. I was so empty, and for the first time in my life, I dropped to my knees and wept and prayed––right there in my home. In my brokenness, I simply asked Jesus to come into my heart.
Afterwards, I went to the church to find Sharon, but she had left. I doubled back to the house. Arriving, I knocked and asked her to open the door, which she did, but only slightly with the latch on for safety. Sharon had been crying after seeing the destruction of our home. I had destroyed things in my anger. Her bags were packed––this was it––she was leaving. I excitedly began to share that I was now born-again, but, in unbelief, she immediately shut the door. Eventually, she let me in.
The next morning, I went to a Christian bookstore to purchase a Bible. I asked for the biggest, family Bible they had. Then I saw a symbol of a fish. It was used by Christians to identify each other in times of persecution. I purchased the biggest, silver fish they had. I was excited to start my Christian walk. God gave me a vision to reach the lost, especially kids in the high schools. What about your life? Let God use you!
No matter who you are or what your life has been like so far, the rest of your life’s journey can be different. With God’s help you can begin again.
~Billy Graham~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
