And they praised God because of me. Galatians 1:24
The Apostle Paul's story isn't a nice one. He persecuted the church. When Stephen, the first martyr for the church, was murdered, Paul was there. He traveled from town to town searching for the early Christians simply to turn them over to the authorities. Paul was a zealot for his faith but an enemy of the One True God. Yet he became a man who embraced the gospel of Christ - even to the point of death. When others heard his story, they praised God because of him.
I wonder how Paul felt. Did he experience regret over the man he was before? Did he feel proud of the man he had now become?
In truth, we all have stories that bring praise to God. The question is: how will we respond? Will we live our days weighed down with regret over our past? Or will we grab hold of the new man in Christ - living for today and tomorrow?
Lord, I know there are many who would praise You because of me. The stories of the man I was before, like Paul's, are not very nice. Did I persecute the church? No. But my actions made me Your enemy.
I think my greatest regret isn't so much the story, but the timing. Others have amazing testimonies of redemption from worldly lives - of how You reached into their pit of sin and saved them from a life of spiritual ignorance. Having been raised in the church and accepting the gospel as a child, my greatest sins have been with full knowledge of Your grace. How many times have I played the hypocrite - standing up in church on Sunday morning after a week of sinful failure? I fear that if some were to hear my story, their reaction would be disgust and anger rather than praise.
The fact is - my story is all too common.
Every Christian struggles with sin. Every Christian needs to understand the depth of Your grace - especially for willful sin committed with full knowledge of the gospel. Give me the chance, Father, to bring praise to You. Help me to be the new man You have created me to be, so others can find hope for themselves.