A Name Changed

Today’s Thought A Name Changed G. Ward

“Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God.  All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 
Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” Acts 9:19b-22As believers, we should glorify Holy God the more for enabling a security in knowing that His love and guidance is perpetually ours. Instead, many are plagued with demonstrations of disconnect with holiness that categorically dichotomizes small sin vs. great sin, while rarely contemplative over our Great King using a killer like Saul in establishing true recompense.
This character (Saul), I’m sure, was regarded by many believers of that day to be hopelessly controlled by self-righteousness. Religion (a perpetuator of self-righteousness), like politics, shares more partisanship than continuity. Islam, for example, began with many deities (more than 360 to be exact) being celebrated, until one Prophet (Mohammed) saw fit to destroy every other god by insisting those of that era celebrate his own god Allah, the moon god (a little leaven causes a great loaf). Saul maintained a similar conviction, seeking to destroy those not participating in surrender to his God. Believer-ship compels us in being transformed from any destructive mechanism to presenting a greater reconciliation (a message of peace, the gospel).
This same Saul experienced a name change that identified his transformation; becoming the Apostle Paul. In an epistle unto believers Paul wrote, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here” (2 Co.5:17)! Considering our having asked Christ to abide in our hearts as Lord has taken place and immediate acceptance on His part declared us as His own; could that re-birth experience (i.e. regeneration) be changed by another or a circumstance, considering our Holy Creator did this (cf. Ro.8:31-35,38-39)? Happy Thursday!