“9. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”
The Apostle Paul is the one writing in this passage of scripture. When we look into his life we can see that his heart was like everyone’s; wicked and sinful. Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” What treasures do you desire? Paul’s life consisted of persecuting Christians in the church. He consented the death of Stephen in the book of Acts. Sometimes it can be really hard to deal with folks who are not saved. Its important to realize that people do the things they do because of a wicked heart. Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked:…..” Matthew 12:35 “…..and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” In the main passage of todays devotion we can see that Paul had a significant change in his heart. God can do great things to people, but salvation must take place within the heart. Romans 10:10 “For with heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” One day Paul was on the road to Damascus. He met with God and had a great heart changing experience. Paul went from being the most feared persecutor to the bravest missionary of the Bible. God’s grace can change anyone and everyone, but there must be a willingness to repent of your sins. There may be a lot of things you have done in your life that would make you think your not good enough to have a relationship with God, but the Bible says He will forgive all sins. The Ten Commandments tell us “Thou shalt not kill”, but yet we see Paul having a strong hand in the death of many saints. Paul was changed when he met Jesus, not only was he changed, but he was also forgiven. Don’t let sin control you today! Have faith in what the Bible tells us! Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” God will save you from a devil’s hell if you confess to God that Jesus died on the cross and rose again for you! He didn’t suffer and die for you to live an unhappy miserable life. He died so you could be set free and no longer be bound to this world of sin. The Apostle Paul is a great example of how God can take anyone and use them for Him! Do you know Jesus today? Is He your Saviour? If your not sure heaven is your home you can settle that in your heart right now! In your own words pray to God; repent of your sins, confess Jesus Christ died and rose again for you, and believe it in your heart! “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Memory Verse Week 9/18/17
Psalm 73:26
“My flesh and my heart faileth; but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion forever.”
