05/26/2026
Devotion for the Week: From Persecutor to Proclaimer
Acts 9:15 – “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel.” (NLT)
Before he became Paul the apostle, Saul was feared by the early church. He hunted Christians, approved of violence against them, and genuinely believed he was protecting the faith of Israel by stopping the spread of the message about Jesus. If anyone in the first century seemed too far gone to ever become a follower of Christ, it would have been Saul. Yet the story of Acts 9 reminds us that God has never been limited by a person’s past, their failures, or even their resistance.
On the road to Damascus, Saul encountered the risen Christ, and in a single moment the direction of his life began to change. The man who once tried to silence the Gospel would eventually spend the rest of his life proclaiming it. The one who once inspired fear in believers would become one of the church’s greatest missionaries, carrying the message of Jesus across cities, cultures, and nations that had never heard the good news before.
We should also pause and think about how this isn't only about the dramatic nature of Saul’s conversion, but the reminder that God often sees something in people long before anyone else can. Where others saw an enemy, God saw a servant. Where others saw destruction, God saw future ministry. That's an example from God Himself for us to remember, because while we are often tempted to believe that some people could never truly change, the Holy Spirit has always specialized in transforming unlikely lives.
This week, ask yourself:
- Is there an area of my life where God may be trying to redirect me?
- Have I quietly assumed that someone is beyond the reach of grace?
- Am I willing to let the Holy Spirit transform not only what I do, but who I am becoming?
The same God who transformed Saul into Paul is still changing lives today, often in ways we never would have expected.
