AUGUST 31, 2012
Turnaround
Read: Galatians 1:11-24
He who
formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he
once tried to destroy. —Galatians 1:23
Bill was a friend of mine in semi- nary who had come to
Christ out
of a blatantly sinful lifestyle. He described it this way: “I was
driving
down the street drinking a bottle of brandy with another man’s wife
at
my side. When I saw some Christians on the sidewalk witnessing
to passersby
about Christ, I drove by and shouted, ‘Fools!’ But only
a few weeks later I
found myself kneeling in a church and asking
Christ to become my Savior and
Lord.” Bill’s conversion resulted in
his giving up his old ways and
experiencing a new life in Christ. It
was a life-changing turnaround.
True repentance, which is initiated by the Holy Spirit,
includes a real
turnaround. Often we see that the greater the opposition to the
gospel prior to conversion, the more stunning the change of direction
afterward. When Saul of Tarsus encountered Christ on the road to
Damascus, he
was changed from a persecutor to a preacher of the
gospel. Of this many
observed: “He who formerly persecuted us now
preaches the faith which he once
tried to destroy” (Gal. 1:23).
Authentic conversion includes repentance, which is a
change of mind
and direction. For the follower of Christ, repentance means to
keep
turning away from sin and turning toward Christ in obedience.
Out of my shameful failure and loss,
Jesus, I come, Jesus, I come;
Into the glorious gain of Thy cross,
Jesus, I come to Thee. —Sleeper
Repentance
is being so sorry for sin that you are willing
to give it up.
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
