Saul stayed with the disciples in Damascus for several days after he received his sight back. At this time, he was a new person. Saul was no longer a persecutor of the church of Jesus Christ and a murderer, but he was now a born-again believer of the Lord Jesus Christ. He began to preach Jesus and prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Son of God in the synagogues where he used to teach and fellowship with other religious leaders. When people heard him preach Jesus, people were amazed because everybody knew him as a destroyer of those who believed in Jesus in Jerusalem. The religious leaders began to plot to kill him, but when Saul found out about it, the disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening wall, lowering him in the large basket. From there, he began his journey to Jerusalem to meet the disciples there. (Acts 9:19-25).
Saul did not hesitate to share Jesus as the Christ or the Savior. He used to be the destroyer of the church, but now he was part of the church of Jesus Christ. Saul used to be religious, but now he had a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus. He used to be a sinner bound to go to hell, but now he was saved by the grace of our Lord Jesus through faith in Jesus and not through good works. Our Lord Jesus turned Saul into a brand new person. Saul gave up everything and followed Jesus; he completely surrendered his life to Jesus without any reservation. Similarly, God transformed our lives when we believed in our Lord Jesus. We are now a new person in our Lord Jesus. We can now live not according to our sinful lifestyle but our Lord Jesus' way.
Let us be encouraged today that we now belong to Jesus and not to the sinful ways of this world. Our identity is no longer of this world, but our identity is in the Lord Jesus. We need to leave our sinful lifestyle behind and live in the righteousness of our Lord Jesus. The only way we can live with joy and peace in our hearts is to live for our Lord Jesus, and Paul realized this, so he had to give up his old way of life to find forgiveness, joy, and peace.
Ask yourself these questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully and meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speaks to you). Do I believe I became a new person when I believe in Jesus as my Lord and Savior? How should I live my life now that I am a new person in Jesus? Can the people around me notice the new life in me?
Prayer:
Father in Heaven, thank you for my new life in my Lord Jesus. I no longer belong to this world; I now belong to you. My identity is no longer based on what I do, my possessions, my career, and my appearance, but my identity now is that I am a child of God and I am forgiven and saved by the grace of my Lord Jesus. I don't live for this world anymore but for my Lord Jesus. In your name Jesus, I pray. Amen.