One day in the teaching ministry of Jesus, he told a parable about a Pharisee and a Publican to illustrate the truth of those who were confident in their own righteousness while they looked down on others. In much the same way, Saul, whom we meet in Acts 9 is a picture of that Pharisee.  His prayers might have sounded just like the Pharisee: “God, I thank you that I am not like other people:” …in addition, God I thank you I am not one of those followers of that Jesus pretender. And so with that mindset, Saul set out to murder the Lord’s disciples not only in Jerusalem but also in Damascus. But unbeknownst to the high priest and Saul, God had a different plan. He needed a Jew who was a scholar, fluent in both Greek and Aramaic, knowledgeable in the Torah and the Prophets. Who better to fit that bill than Saul! Clearly, Saul must have overlooked Is 55 “my ways are higher than yours, and my plans are superior to yours.”

And so it was on a dusty road that Saul met Jesus first hand and it radically changed his mind, his heart and his lifestyle. He wrote later: “I have suffered the loss of all things – indeed, I regard them as dung! – that I may gain Christ,”[Phi 3:8] Saul, soon to be Paul, now picked up where the martyred Stephen left off unapologetically proving Jesus is the Christ.

Beware lest you think like Saul—Jesus may meet you and your life will be forever changed.