But, When God…

¹³ For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. ¹⁴ I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers. ¹⁵ But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace,  Galatians 1:13-15 NIV

Paul reminds his readers what kind of a Jew he was, devout and passionate to the extreme. He was jealous for the Jewish law and traditions. But when God….. When God revealed Himself to Paul, Paul became a meek and mild, laid back follower of Jesus Christ. NOT!!!  Most of the books in the New Testament tell us about Paul’s intensity for Jesus and the Gentiles. When Jesus redeemed Paul, he changed his heart and the very core of who Paul was, but he did not change Paul’s quirks, intelligence, curiosity or passion for a cause. He created Paul with those characteristics and they were the very things that made Paul, Paul. He did change Paul’s perspective; He redeemed Paul’s distinguishing characteristics. He took the old Paul, enveloped Him in love and then set him free to be himself with love for Jesus as his newest distinguishing characteristic.

When I accepted Jesus as my Savior, it was so easy for me to think that I needed to be like Mary, Sarah, or Ruth, or other great women of the Bible. I thought I needed to act just like the best, brightest and most popular Christian woman in my life at the time (often, my pastor’s wife). It took a long time for me to realize that God made me exactly the way He wanted me to be, with all the quirks and idiosyncrasies that made me, me! But He certainly intended that His love would shine through those traits, and that I would grow in my love for Him and the expression of that love to others.

Thank You, Jesus, for my “But when God” moment. I praise You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made, with all my uniqueness and peculiarities. Purify my heart and personality to reflect Your love and holiness, I pray.