Thursday; October 16
The Apostle Paul is an interesting character. Often, when we think about him, we recall him as the insightful Christian writer and tenacious church planter. We think of him as an incredible man of faith who, according to Christian history, became a martyr for the cause. Yet, early on, we are introduced to a different man. Luke describes Saul (Paul’s old name) as being in agreement with those who killed Stephen (Acts 8:1) and goes on to say, “But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison.” (Acts 8:3). Before Paul dedicated his life to promoting Christ, he sought to persecute Christians. I think this is one of the things that makes Paul’s insight into faith and forgiveness so acute. He knew what it was to be completely clueless and how good it felt being absolutely cleansed. This concept is a theme in his life that he expressed to Timothy (and u...