Never the Same Again

In the homework for our study this week, we have been looking at the early life of the Apostle Paul and the other day I read again about his dramatic conversion from a zealous, sincere Pharisee breathing murderous threats against those who followed the Way of Christ to a humbled, committed, life-changed believer and follower of Jesus Christ. Amazing grace! The church we were members of in Florida used to sing a song called, “I Will Never Be the Same Again,” (by Hillsong, I believe), and I couldn’t help but think of it while reading in Acts when Paul recounted his experience on the road to Damascus when he went from being sincere and zealous, but so very lost, to one whom God would use to bring the light of the gospel to many, even to the Gentiles (that alone causes my heart to sing, that this gospel of grace was extended even to me, a Gentile!). God changed Paul’s misplaced zeal into a burning passion to take the message of Christ to everyone he met.

When Paul’s physical eyes were blinded by the glory of Jesus while his spiritual eyes were opened, he was instantly a changed man. His response was instantly to submit to Christ, when he recognized Him as LORD. He never got over it. He was never the same again. In one of his letters to the young pastor Timothy, he wrote, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1:15-17)

Paul, for all the years he served His Savior faithfully in ministry, never forgot who he had been and what he had been redeemed from, and he never lost his joy over the great gift of grace which had been bestowed on him through the blood of Christ Jesus. While as a Pharisee he would have been prideful and boastful in the outward, painstakingly precise show of religiosity which was just so much empty effort, once his pride was broken and he was reborn and made new in Christ, he did not become prideful and boast in his accomplishments. He knew that apart from Christ he was wretched indeed. As are we all. Paul no longer boasted in anything except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love the spontaneous praise that the Holy Spirit inspired him to write at the end of that passage. It’s as if he couldn’t think on so great a salvation without pausing to worship the One who had saved him.

I want to keep that kind of love for my Savior at the forefront of my thinking. The more I ponder on His grace and think of my unworthiness to serve so great a King, the more I want to live a life that praises Him and the more I want my writing and my speech to praise Him. Oh that there would be more times when my heart would just overflow with spontaneous praise for Jesus, the One who deserves our most excellent praise. When I think on the terrible price my Redeemer willingly paid with His own blood, the only proper response is to bow in worship of our excellent, gracious, precious, holy, awesome, risen Savior and King. My heart burns within me with the thought that He would choose me, that He would use this earthen vessel to entrust with the treasure of His gospel. Who am I to keep silent? When I am tempted to complacency and laziness, I must fix my eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of the faith and think again on His cross and how He finished the work of redemption and remember that this is the hope that anchors my soul. I, who have tasted of His goodness, must never be the same. We should weep for the times we allow ourselves to become complacent, comfortable and lazy, for they are far too often. May my heart’s desire be to shout His praises from the rooftop, never to be silent. Paul never forgot or grew complacent – he poured out His life in service to the King of Glory as he pressed on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus, because he knew that nothing else mattered in comparison.

Lord, grant me the desire and will to do so also and not get so mired in the tyranny of the mundane that I forget that all that I do is to be done as unto You and to be willing to open my mouth in praise of my Savior, giving witness to anyone who will listen of the great hope that is within me because I’ve been washed in Your blood. Please grant me the words to say when the moments arise for me to stand for You, for Your glory alone.