Truth Hurts

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I’m going to have to admit it…at work; I may have developed a bit of an ego somewhere along the line. After four years of diligent study and education, I have finally come to a point in my career where I feel confident in all of the material that comes from me and I can’t help but take some pride in that assurance.

The other day, however, I was taken back by some reprimands that I received from a senior manager. Whether these scoldings were warranted remains to be seen, but regardless, I was definitely knocked off of my self-made pedestal and left in a semi-state of shock.

Acts 9:5
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”

Paul, what a man. When we read his biblical accounts in our time we can’t help but feel his heart and devotion to Jesus Christ. But, as we all know, this wasn’t always the case.

Can you imagine the shame Saul must have felt when the risen and ascended Jesus met him on the road to Damascus? His whole life had been given to pursuing the God of Abraham and law of Moses. He was confident in his righteous standing before God. But, unfortunately, he had also been zealously persecuting the very same God that he sought to serve.

In a moment, Saul went from thinking he was one of God’s greatest allies to knowing he had helped put God incarnate to death. The blow to his ego is staggering. And yet, this is the epitome of grace.

Grace always begins with a crisis. It cannot be understood apart from a clear recognition that we need it desperately. When we hear the truth about ourselves, sometimes, grace is all that remains. No redeemed person is spared from the knowledge of their offenses before God. Let us always walk in this humility.