I Am Jesus

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?  And he said, Who are You, Lord? Then the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. 

Acts 9: 3-5 

What changed Saul of Tarsus into the man who would become the Apostle Paul? It was the encounter with Jesus our text describes. Saul was on his way to Damascus with letters from the high priest authorizing him to arrest anyone who was a follower of Christ and to bring them bound to Jerusalem to face judgment. Our text describes what happened. ‘A light shone around him from heaven.’ A voice spoke to him and said, ‘Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me?’ When Saul responded, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ the answer came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ Paul had come, person to Person with the risen Christ. Thus, when he remarks later that ‘last of all He was seem by me also,’ he refers at the very least, to this event. This was the Damascus Road experience that changed his life. Nothing else changes us as much as a personal encounter with Christ. Ours may not be as spectacular as was Saul’s but they are life-transforming none-the less. We understand that Christ has made the difference in who we are as opposed to who we were. Christ transforms lives by bringing us to a personal encounter with Him. 

Our Glorious, Living God, 
we rejoice that you meet us in a personal way. 
We praise You that it is our encounter with You, 
that changes us forever. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning