The Conversion of Saul
Devotional by Mike Moore
“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” 5 And he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, 6 but get up and enter the city, and it will be told to you what you must do.” 7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus. 9 And for three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.”
Acts 9:1-9
Acts 9 begins with Saul on his way to Damascus. He wants to find Christians so that he may arrest them and take them back to Jerusalem for persecution. Along the way Jesus appears to him and everything changes. Upon seeing Jesus, the incredible light of our Savior, Saul becomes blind. Think of it as when we look at the sun for a split second and then look away. We see that bright white light, but we can’t see anything else. Saul, seeing the actual Son and the radiance of His light, was blinded for 3 days. Saul’s conversion occurs in that moment.
The conversion of any man is unique. There is no formula to a conversion; however, we see key elements that every conversion will have.
Jesus comes to Saul. God approaches man in a conversion. We are sinful and carnal, and our thoughts never ascend to higher things like God. While it may not be as dramatic as Saul’s conversion, at some point every conversion has a moment where God speaks to the person, even if it’s in a still small voice. Often the subtle conversion is the more powerful one. To be a “good person”, always doing seemingly the right thing your entire life, but still realizing deep down you have a sin nature and are in need of a savior, is such a powerful testimony.
Jesus asks Saul, “why do you persecute me?” The second element of a conversion is the convicting power of God as He exposes us to why we are in need of a Savior. Jesus doesn’t say” why are you persecuting Christians?”; he states, “why do you persecute me?” Jesus is so tied to every Christian that anything done to a Christian is done to Jesus himself. He feels every anxious thought, every tear, every disappointment, every sorrow, all of our grief. He endures it all as we endure it here on earth. The final element is the actual conversion, as Saul is asking Jesus,
“who are you, Lord?” He realizes Jesus is his Lord and he must follow in obedience to everything Jesus instructs.
The outcome of a true conversion is total and complete submission to Jesus. We were once blind, and His light opened our eyes to a new reality stirring our hearts into action. With our eyes opened we see the world needs so much healing and compassion. For those who are lost, God is seeking them all, and he may want to use us to share our conversion stories so that others may hear the glory of God and the amazing light he has brought us.
Who could you share your conversion story with to show them the power of God’s redeeming light?