"By the miracle of Redemption Saul of Tarsus was turned in one second from a strong-willed, intense Pharisee into a humble, devoted slave of the Lord Jesus." (Oswald Chambers)
The question comes to me after I read today's devotion: Did Paul have any choice in following Jesus after he had that Damascus Road experience? Was it so dramatic that his course was fixed?
Of course, on a human level, if there is a choice, there is a possibility of going either way, toward Christ or not, but could Paul have just said "no way"?
Could Peter, James and John have heard Jesus say "Follow Me" and not done it?
It is easy for me to say that if I had had these experiences, I would have "left my nets" and wholeheartedly followed. But would I, really?
Some calls are dramatic, some are not, but maybe the acceptance of the call is what is important, not the dramatic fashion in which it was given. Paul did not continually go about telling how he was called to the ministry, but Who gave him the call. Do I relate the authenticity of the call to the manner in which I realize it, or by the Person who gives it?
All of us have stories, some lightening bolts, some like erosion, slow and steady, but it is not the uniqueness that is important, it is the Person that we serve that makes all the difference.
So do I serve my experience or do I serve Jesus?
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