Read: Acts 8:1-4
But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. (v. 3)
I am a lifelong Christian, and I have lived a quiet, peaceful life. I haven’t experienced persecution, and I have experienced freedom and justice in my country, but this is not the experience for all of Jesus’ followers.
Just as Saul “ravaged the church” by forcefully entering homes and dragging off Christians into prison, similar things happen today. Tens of thousands of Christians are martyred for their faith every year. We live in a violent world. And the stark reality is that the main character of our devotions this month was initially a violent persecutor of Christians. These folks had done nothing wrong except believe in Jesus as the Messiah. Saul had progressed from a passive observer at Stephen’s death to active persecutor of Christians.
We may not be guilty of violent persecution like Saul, but all of us, before we met Christ, have lived in opposition to the gospel. Without the Savior, all of us are capable of doing terrible things. Saul needed Jesus. He needed the one he was persecuting. When he realized that, and Jesus took over, great change came in his life. In the case of Saul, God took the greatest persecutor of the church and made him its greatest missionary. —John Koedyker
As you pray, recognize your sins, but praise God for how he miraculously saves us.
About the Author
Rev. John C. Koedyker is an ordained minister in the Reformed Church in America. He has served as a missionary to Japan as well as pastor of several churches in Iowa and Michigan. Until recently he served Muskegon Classis as its Stated Clerk for 18 years. He resides in Grand Haven, Michigan.
