His name was Saul.  He was from the great city of Tarsus is Cilicia. While many had to buy their Roman citizenship, he was a natural-born citizen of Rome.  He was also Jewish and had become a brilliant scholar of the Scriptures…sat under the tutelage of the great teacher, Gamaliel.  He was young and zealous for Judaism…a keeper of the Law.  He was intent on being “somebody.”  Then, he met the glorified, risen, ascended Jesus on the road to Damascus and it changed his life forever.  He even changed his name to “Paul,” meaning “small and humble.”  From that day forward, Paul only proclaimed Jesus and, when others saw him, he wanted them to only see Jesus in him.  If you’ve come to know Jesus, when others see you, do they think of Jesus?

Philippians 3:4-8; 1 Corinthians 11:1

4 “If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless. 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.”  “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” ~ Paul, an Apostle of Jesus

“We weren’t meant to be ‘somebody’—we were meant to know SOMEBODY.” ~ John Piper

The Lord bless you and keep you…

Pastor Dave