January 26, 2012 - Acts 22:3

“’I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel, I was thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers and was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.’” Acts 22:3.
After settling down the crowd, Paul began to speak, identifying himself in a manner in which his audience would relate. It seems as if Paul was trying to communicate that he was one of them; he was Jewish, just like they were, and he was zealous to keep his “Jewish-ness” intact. Apparently, he wasn’t attempting to justify himself. Instead, he was passionate to tell the story of his conversion to Jesus. His desire was to see all people of his faith become as he was: a follower of Jesus. Paul used the tools built into his life – his culture, his training and education, even his knowledge of languages – in order to tell anyone who would listen about Jesus.
When I think about where I came from and the tools that God built into my life, I am humbled to think of the many times I did not use them to tell the story of God’s goodness. Yes, there have been times when I used something from my life as a springboard into talking about Jesus, yet there were many times when I didn’t. I sometimes think that my story is not that interesting and that it won’t capture anyone’s attention. But it is my story, and I am grateful for the unique way God has built me. I hope to learn from Paul’s example and be willing to tell my story whenever I have the opportunity.
Questions to consider: What is your story? How do you use it to tell others about what Jesus has done in your life? How willing are you to tell your story, particularly about how you became a follower of Jesus?
Prayer: Father, thank You for the unique story given to me, and to each person. May I become more aware of how I can use my story to talk about Your Son. Amen.