He Started When?

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

The beloved of Christ often starts the story with an 'I was saved at...' and mentions some age. To the unbeliever this may seem like the Lord stirred Himself up at this particular age of the person and then went out looking for His lost sheep. The saved one, he and she who have surrendered to the mercy and grace of Christ Jesus, knows that the Lord knew from the beginning where to find this lost sheep and that all things were worked by God toward that good work. 

Paul felt the goads or pricks from well before his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus. We too can recall the many times from before our surrender when the hand of the Lord tapped us to point out our sinfulness. To think back to those times for instruction in the Word , we might find it simply amazing that all things were worked by God for our good. Wait, what does Paul mean by "all things"  - surely he couldn't mean that shameful time I did that thing?! What a horrible sin that was that I did! Well, 'all things' kind of broadens the list out to include, all things. And the Lord provided such a wonderful example in Paul who came to Him bearing such a load of opposition to the Lord's new work in salvation. On the road to Damascus, we know that Paul was going to that city to stamp out as much of the Lord's work as he could, all of it if possible. 

No doubt there are some heinous sins in your past and mine, but at any meeting of the repentant, Paul could easily trump those stories. "You think that is bad? Let me tell you what I was doing when the Lord Jesus saved me," Paul might begin his story. 

God's great love and kindness to you on this new Monday,

Bucky