“And I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’” – Acts 22:8
Paul was totally devoted to God and thoroughly trained in the Scriptures. And yet, for all that, he completely missed the truth of Jesus, the Son and Messiah of God. Paul was so disoriented toward God that he was hunting down God’s children in his zeal to please God. Paul knew so much but understood so little!
When the resurrected Jesus appeared to him, Paul had to ask who Jesus was. Paul had the forms and rituals of religion without its truth or power. True faith in God isn’t about obeying a system, it’s about forming a relationship with God the Father through Jesus the Son.
Many in the world today are earnest about pursuing God, even to the point of hurting others or themselves to earn His approval. Trying to connect with God through systems of religion developed by people to discipline themselves for righteousness will NEVER work. Like Paul, those systems have missed the ultimate movement of God when He became a man, Jesus of Nazareth. They have the forms and rituals of religion without its truth or power.
We, who are always imperfect, can never connect with the perfect God of the Universe on our terms or based on our behavior. We NEED God’s grace and His grace only comes through faith. That faith must always be rooted in Jesus of Nazareth. #FollowJesus