Daily Devotions

Today we look at a word that seems become redundant in today’s church, namely conversion. Perhaps Saul’s conversion is the classic go to passage conversion passage in the Bible where we read,  “He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' "Who are you, Lord?' Saul asked. 1 am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,' he replied. Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do. Acts 9:4-6

A well known psychiatrist wrote this about Saul's conversion: 'A state of trans-marginal inhibition seems to have followed his acute state of nervous excitement. Total collapse, hallucinations and an increased state of suggestibility appear to have supervened. Other inhibitory, hysterical manifestations are also reported.”

Personally, I believe we have all the ingredients of a true conversion in this story.

I recently reread after a gap of 40 years the works of Rev’d David Watson and his take on conversion. He notes that with Paul’s conversion we see there is the need for humble recognition of the true nature of sin. Did you notice that Jesus asked Saul, 'Why do you persecute me?' whereas the chapter opens with Saul 'breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples'. What this is saying that all sin is rebellion against Jesus and unless a person comes to see this, he will not experience true conversion.

The Rev’d David secondly asserts that there is also a need for humble submission and obedience to the lordship of Christ. He writes, “I'm convinced that what finally broke proud, intellectual, religious, independent Saul was the love of Jesus. I'm told that communists are not converted by arguments but by seeing the love of Jesus in Christians. 

In our preaching and personal evangelism, are we including these two important ingredients in conversion?

Lord, I am reporting for duty. Show me how to pray and what to do today. You know us, you love us, you free us, then call us to follow you and we bless you. Your mercy meets us in our confusion; may your spirit meet us in our everyday living. Amen