27 March - Acts 9

Today we are in Acts 9 for the Tattoo Church Reading Plan. Here are some things to think about:

1. This chapter starts out talking about Saul again but this time Saul gets blinded when he comes face to face with Jesus. Jesus tells Saul to go into the city and wait to be told what to do.
2. Then Jesus tells Ananias to go pray for Saul to restore his sight. Ananias was understandably afraid but he obeyed God and Saul was healed. Saul immediately decided to be baptized and started telling everyone Jesus is the Son of God. 
3. The chapter ends talking about Peter praying and bringing a dead woman back to life. Obviously, this news spread quickly and many people believed in Jesus. 

Are you starting to see a pattern of how God chooses to forgive people that anyone else would write off? First with Jesus hanging out with people like Zacchaeus who everyone hated because of his dishonesty (09 March - Luke 19). Then forgiving his best friend, Peter, for denying even knowing him when he needed him most (14 March - Luke 22). Now with God forgiving and deciding to use Saul, who literally killed Christians, to spread the good news of Jesus all over the place. People that claim God isn’t loving are obviously missing these examples. 

Does reading these examples of forgiveness give you new hope that God will forgive you? It should. Are you are holding some things back and not asking God to forgive them because you think he wont? If God would forgive Saul for killing Christians then wouldn’t it make sense that God will forgive whatever you’ve done? God wants to have a new relationship with you. God loves you more than you can begin to understand. God’s love is irrational and I’m thankful for that.