At sixteen years old, Luis Rodriguez had already been in jail for selling drugs. Now, arrested for attempted murder, he was in prison again—looking at a life sentence. But God spoke into his guilty circumstances. Behind bars, young Luis remembered his early years when his mother had faithfully taken him to church. He now felt God tugging at his heart. Luis eventually repented of his sins and came to Jesus.
In the book of Acts, we meet a zealous Jewish man named Saul, who was also called Paul. He was guilty of aggravated assault on believers in Jesus and had murder in his heart (Acts 9:1). There’s evidence he was a kind of gang leader, and part of the mob at the execution of Stephen (7:58). But God spoke into Saul’s guilty circumstances—literally. On the street leading into Damascus, Saul was blinded by a light, and Jesus said to him, “Why do you persecute me?” (9:4). Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” ( v. 5), and that was the beginning of his new life. He came to Jesus.
Luis Rodriguez served time but eventually was granted parole. Since then, he’s served God, devoting his life to prison ministry.
God specialises in redeeming the worst of us. He tugs at our hearts and speaks into our guilt-drenched lives. Maybe it’s time we repent of our sins and come to Jesus.
By Kenneth Petersen
REFLECT & PRAY
What guilt are you experiencing or have experienced? How do you sense God is calling or has called you back to Himself?
Jesus, I’ve strayed from you, but I feel You tugging at my heart. Forgive me of my sins, I pray.
Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road wasn’t only life-changing but, in a truly literal sense, was world-changing as well. The passionate heart of the apostle Paul (formerly known as Saul) was, in a sense, the engine God used to spread the gospel throughout the Roman empire. As the Holy Spirit directed him, he took the gospel throughout the Roman empire of his day and, along with the missionaries he mentored, even reached far beyond the boundaries of Rome. His letters touched both Asia Minor and Europe and were, it’s believed, circulated far beyond their intended destinations. It must have given Paul great satisfaction to know that God’s grace had not only rescued him from his sinful past but also equipped him for a purposeful and productive life while preparing him for an eternal destiny. Still today, the term Damascus road speaks of a moment of radical transformation in a person’s life.
Bill Crowder
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