Acts 9.17 NLT
Ananias went and found Saul. He laid his hands on him and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road, has sent me so that you might regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
I find this declaration from Ananias one of the most moving sentences in the whole of the Bible. He had been asked by God to go and meet Saul. Ananias was fully aware of Saul’s reputation and that he was on a mission to arrest the followers of Jesus. He was bound to think that there must be some mistake. But the Lord informed him that Saul had been appointed to take the Gospel to the non-Jewish world. In obedience to the Lord and, with considerable courage, Ananias headed off to the house in Straight Street placed his hands on Saul and called him brother. How amazing! This man, who had been doing everything possible to ensure the destruction of the church, had changed so completely that he was now part of the family. He was a brother.
The story of Saul’s conversion should be a warning to us all not to put a limit on what God can do. I invite you to think of people whom you know who are completely dismissive of Christian faith. Perhaps they laugh at you for your faith. Or they love trying to prove that Christianity is just a lot of sentimental nonsense. Or, like so many people, they are not remotely interested in anything connected with the church. It is very tempting to assume that it is a waste of time sharing our faith with them, and that we should focus our attention on the people who show some interest. I suggest that we need to pray for everyone we know, whether they are interested or not, knowing that God loves everyone and invites them all to follow him, however antagonistic they may be.




When someone becomes a Christian, in an instant they become part of the family. They don’t need to go through a ceremony first or complete a course of instruction. The moment a person decides to follow Jesus as the Lord of their lives, they are part of God’s eternal family. What an amazing miracle!




QUESTION: Are you willing to share your Christian faith with people who are opposed to it?
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank you that you are a God of miracles and want to welcome everyone to yourself. Amen

Released on 12 Aug 2021