Today's Verse: Acts 9:4-5

Sunday, September 4, 2016

He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"
 
"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.
 
"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.
Now you can listen to Today's Verse on iTunes, Spotify, Echo devices, and more!

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Saul, who became better known as the apostle Paul, heard these words on the road to Damascas as he was going there to persecute Christians. He isn't being theoretical when Paul later teaches through his letters that the Church is the Body of Christ (Romans 12:3-4; 1 Corinthians 10:10-16-17; Ephesians 5:23, 29; Colossians 1:18, 24). The Church IS Jesus' presence, his Body alive and at work in the world. What is done to the Church as a collective group of people is done to Jesus. What is done to individual Christians is done to their Savior. Jesus made this clear to Paul, then known as Saul, by emphasizing that Saul's persecution of believers was also persecution of Jesus - "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" Jesus is present in the world today through his people! The saying is true: the only Jesus many will see today is the Jesus they see through you and me.

My Prayer...

Dear Father, please "Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wonderful passion and purity; May His Spirit divine, all my being refine; Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me." In the name of my Savior, I pray. Amen. (From the song by Albert W.T. Orsbom.)

Have thoughts on this devotional? Leave a comment

9 Related Resources by Heartlight

Illustration

Illustration of Acts 9:4-5 — He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"   "Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.   "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied.

Other Devotionals from Heartlight for Sunday, September 4, 2016

A daily devotional about God's power for our battles.
"Think about the Israelites: Do not those who eat the sacrifices share in the altar? I do not mean that the food sacrificed to an idol is important. I...."
The classic twice-daily devotional from Charles H. Spurgeon.
"A craving after marvels was a symptom of the sickly state of men's minds in our Lord's day; they refused solid nourishment, and pined after mere..."
A daily devotional about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
"[God said,] "I'll give you [my people in Babylonian captivity] a new heart. I'll put a new Spirit in you. I'll cut out your stone heart and replace it with a..."
A daily guide from the gospels that challenges readers to live for Jesus.
"When Jesus had finished saying these things [about the need to be forgiving], he left Galilee and went down to the region of Judea east of the Jordan...."

About This Devotional

Today's Verse is a free daily devotional that includes a Bible verse, thought and prayer.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are written by Phil Ware.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.