Reading for Monday, May 7: Acts 22

Acts 22 follows Paul as he tells his conversion story. Paul testifies to the power of Jesus at work in his life. I’m reminded that the greatest sermon we preach is the life we live. When we commit ourselves to Jesus, we join our small, insignificant story to The Ultimate Story of God’s reconciling work in Christ. We are woven into a larger narrative, God’s work of redemption. And we’re never able to look at ourselves in quite the same light. The language Paul uses in Ephesians is “saints” — those who have joined their stories with the Great Narrator, finding meaning and purpose in Him.

So, like Paul, let’s tell our stories. Let’s be honest about our struggles — just as Paul is honest about his own wrongheaded attempts to find life apart from Christ. Let’s be honest about what God is doing in us through Jesus. And let’s give Him all the credit and praise for transforming our dead, fruitless lives into something glorious and redeemed.