OCTOBER 12TH, 2021      |   Paul was an apostle of Jesus who wrote more than half of the Bible’s New Testament. Before his name was changed to Paul, he was called Saul. He murdered Christians—killing those who served and followed Christ. However, Saul had a conversion moment on the road to Damascus that changed his entire life (see Acts 9). Not only did Saul have a name change—Saul to Paul—because of this encounter with God, he also experienced a soul change as well. 

Paul accepted his new identity and preached the Good News throughout his lifetime. He was focused on God’s Kingdom here on earth. He knew where he came from and what he had done, but he put his past behind himself and focused on spreading the Gospel. 

We can look at the redemptive life Paul lived and know that God can do the same for us too. God is bigger than our past and has a plan for our future. There is nothing we can do that can’t be redeemed by God. He is the God of love and forgiveness. This can turn our past into a new future. We too can be like Paul and have a new identity.