Acts 26 - Sin is not the End, if You Give God a Chance!

Paul became one of the greatest Christian leaders of all time, but we couldn’t see that from his beginnings. In the following verses Paul, on trial, tells of his past before Jesus.“ ⁹"I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰And that is just what I did in Jerusalem. On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹Many a time I went from one synagogue to another to have them punished, and I tried to force them to blaspheme. In my obsession against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them.”

As one can see, Paul, then Saul, did many things to persecute Christians. If we were in that point in time looking for a great Christian leader, would we have chosen one who has done those things listed above (one who went all over the land to persecute Christians and cast votes to put them to death)? Absolutely not! I wouldn’t have, but God can see through all things and use everyone and anyone, regardless of their past and mistakes, for His glory. Just as He did with Saul, turned Paul. Who would think that an avid Christian opponent would be one of the strongest Christian leaders and writers? God and only God could have seen it.

So now I say to you, God can use you too, if you let Him. You see, Satan wants to say that you are worthless, that you let God down, that you can’t be forgiven, you’ve done too much or its too late, that God doesn’t want you, that is a lie! God does not like the sin, but He LOVES us, just as He loves Paul. How much does God love each and every one of us? Enough to send His Son Jesus to die for us! John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” God loves you, wants to have a relationship with you, wants to help you be all you can be for Him, but you have to take the first step. You’ve made mistakes, done the wrong things, then do as Saul did, cast them at the feet of Jesus, truly repent of your ways, ask for forgiveness, then build a relationship with God, through Jesus, and allow Him to wash you in His blood, pay the price for your sins, forgive you for your transgressions, and allow Him to help you do great things for His glory. If God can change a Christian killer to a Christian leader, what great things does He have in store for you?

I know this is a long post (and I’m making it longer) but I really needed to hear this today and it is no coincidence that God had me write on past mistakes, forgiveness, and moving on to do His will. Please pray for my family for we need it today. Thank you all, and God bless each and every one of you.