A Redesigned Life by Tracy Steel

Author:Tracy Steel
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Christian Living/Women;REL012130;REL012120;REL012070
ISBN: 9781493417872
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2019-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Our Own Road to Damascus, and Why It Matters

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament focuses on what happened to Saul, who became the apostle Paul, as he was traveling to Damascus. It was on the road to Damascus that the Lord literally blinded him and asked Saul why he saw fit to persecute him. See, Saul thought himself righteous while followers of Jesus were blasphemous. God allowed him to carry on like this for a while. Then God moved, or, well . . . confronted and blinded Saul. Why? Because God had a different kind of part or emphasis that Saul needed to play.

Paul went from being a persecutor of Christians to becoming a staunch proponent of Christianity, helping to spread the gospel message of Jesus Christ throughout the Roman Empire. Paul was given a second chance and encountered the love of Christ. He immediately lived a redesigned life. What happened to Paul on the road to Damascus wasn’t part of Paul’s plan. But it was always part of God’s design for Paul’s life.

Paul humbled himself before God and spent the rest of his life loving on the same people he used to persecute. The contrast between who Paul used to be and who he ended up being astounds me. Not only did Paul go on to build and strengthen the early church, he also penned many of the books of the New Testament, which continue to instruct and encourage our hearts today. Paul later admitted the following about himself in 1 Timothy 1:15–16:

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

Paul saw the contrast within himself, embraced it, and grew from it. In doing so, he found contentment and the courage to live out his emphasis. I wonder, can you relate to Paul and to the words he wrote about himself? Have you had a moment where you met God face-to-face on your own type of Damascus road? Were you once a skeptic of God and now consider yourself to be his child?

I know this section of the book is a toughie. There is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1), so to bring some on you is not the point of this chapter. But the Bible explains that we are to teach and to speak truth to one another, pray for one another, and hold each other accountable for how we are living our faith out (Prov. 27:17; Eph. 4:15–16, 25; James 5:16). I do not want you to just feel good, I want you to become God’s good, inimitable version of yourself. I want us to mature in our faith and become holier and more glorifying to God. I don’t want you to be blind to what is going on in your heart or mind or in your relationships.

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