DAY 4 — BROTHER SAUL
DAY 4 — BROTHER SAUL
READ: Acts 9:17–19
“He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul…’”
— Acts 9:17
REFLECT
Ananias could have called him a lot of things.
Enemy.
Persecutor.
Murderer.
Instead, his first recorded words to Saul were:
“BROTHER SAUL.”
That might be one of the most powerful moments in the entire story.
Ananias didn’t pretend Saul’s past didn’t exist. He simply believed that Jesus was powerful enough to give Saul a new future.
Then Ananias did something even more remarkable.
He touched him.
The hands Saul came to chain became the hands God used to give Saul his sight.
Forgiveness can do that.
It opens our hands when hurt makes us want to close them.
There may be someone in your life you’ve defined entirely by what they did. Forgiveness doesn’t mean calling wrong things right. It means refusing to let someone’s past—or what they did to you—have the final word.
Jesus specializes in transformation.
The person you’ve written off may be someone God is still working on.
And sometimes He asks us to participate in that work.
ASK YOURSELF
Is there someone I’ve defined entirely by their worst moment?
Is hurt keeping me from extending grace?
PRAY
Jesus, thank You for showing me grace when I didn’t deserve it. Help me extend that same grace to others. Give me wisdom, courage, and a forgiving heart. Use my hands to bring healing rather than hurt. Amen.
TAKE A STEP
Think of one person you’re struggling to forgive.
Pray for them by name today.
Ask God to begin changing your heart toward them.
READ: Acts 9:17–19
“He laid his hands on him and said, ‘Brother Saul…’”
— Acts 9:17
REFLECT
Ananias could have called him a lot of things.
Enemy.
Persecutor.
Murderer.
Instead, his first recorded words to Saul were:
“BROTHER SAUL.”
That might be one of the most powerful moments in the entire story.
Ananias didn’t pretend Saul’s past didn’t exist. He simply believed that Jesus was powerful enough to give Saul a new future.
Then Ananias did something even more remarkable.
He touched him.
The hands Saul came to chain became the hands God used to give Saul his sight.
Forgiveness can do that.
It opens our hands when hurt makes us want to close them.
There may be someone in your life you’ve defined entirely by what they did. Forgiveness doesn’t mean calling wrong things right. It means refusing to let someone’s past—or what they did to you—have the final word.
Jesus specializes in transformation.
The person you’ve written off may be someone God is still working on.
And sometimes He asks us to participate in that work.
ASK YOURSELF
Is there someone I’ve defined entirely by their worst moment?
Is hurt keeping me from extending grace?
PRAY
Jesus, thank You for showing me grace when I didn’t deserve it. Help me extend that same grace to others. Give me wisdom, courage, and a forgiving heart. Use my hands to bring healing rather than hurt. Amen.
TAKE A STEP
Think of one person you’re struggling to forgive.
Pray for them by name today.
Ask God to begin changing your heart toward them.
Posted in Daily Devotional