Greetings Prayer Warriors,
Think of someone you find fairly intolerable, a relative or acquaintance, whose presence at best, feels like a thorn in your side. Next, imagine they are welcomed into your tight-knit friend circle. This must have been how it felt to the apostles when Saul, now Paul, was brought into their community. They didn’t yet grasp how the generosity of Christ’s mercy could truly transform someone. Yet, they would be called to imitate Christ, welcome Saul, and treat this man whom they feared and despised, as a brother.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man, but I have been mercifully treated because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
1 Timothy 1:13
We all have some Saul in us. We can be ignorant of the truth and self-righteously arrogant. We can murder with our tongues and throw rocks with our glaring and dismissive eyes. Yet blindly, we only despise these qualities when we see them in another.
It is time for self-reflection. Who even knows that they are ignorant of the truth/Truth?! Are you a Saul? Or is there a Saul in your life? Wouldn’t you love to receive Christ’s mercy flowing through another with a heart of love and compassion? Can you also see that this is how you must treat other Sauls? Both mercy given and mercy received is truly transformative.
Our time here on earth is only in preparation for the next life. May our love and mercy continue to grow. Let us pray for each other and our families, that we may imitate Christ’s mercy and, in the end, receive our heavenly crown complete with a new name.
“Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To the victor I shall give some of the hidden manna; I shall also give a white amulet upon which is inscribed a new name, which no one knows except the one who receives it.” Revelation 2:17
Peace, Joy, and Love,
Janet
Transform someone’s life. Show them mercy when they least expect it! Pass it on!
