READ: ACTS 9:1-22; 2 TIMOTHY 1:5; 3:15

Of all the conversion stories in the Bible, none are more dramatic than the Apostle Paul’s. Before knowing Jesus, Paul—also called Saul—was one of the most vicious, violent persecutors of the early church. Brilliant in intellect, he used his mind to orchestrate beatings and deaths against the converts of this new religion called Christianity, fearing it threatened his Jewish faith.

His conversion story has been told and retold countless times. He was traveling the road to Damascus when he was blinded by a great light and the voice of Jesus asked, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:4).

Saul’s conversion was so dramatic that the leaders of the fledgling church didn’t believe him at first. It took a good amount of time before they finally accepted the truth: Saul the persecutor was now a disciple of Christ.

My conversion was nothing like that. My brother shared the gospel with me when I was twelve, and I prayed a simple prayer while sitting on the side of my bed. There were no fireworks, no lights, certainly no voice from heaven. Later, my story of conversion was mostly met with shrugging shoulders and blank stares. I wasn’t a rebel or criminal before my conversion, so afterward, few people noticed any differences.

But, like the Apostle Paul, I was different, even if nobody really saw it. I was a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The death and resurrection of Christ that was sufficient to convert Paul in ancient Israel also covered a twelve-year-old in California. Maybe you don’t have a Paul conversion story either. Whatever your story, your sins are forgiven and you’re a new creation in Christ, all based on His sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. • Mike Hurley

• If you’re a Christian, how would you describe your salvation story?

• If you know Jesus as your Savior, you are a new creation. Jesus has freed you from the power of sin and death. And one day, when you see Jesus face to face, you won’t struggle with sin and its effects anymore, because sin and death will be gone forever (1 Corinthians 13:12; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Revelation 21:1-5). How might remembering that we are forgiven and that we are new creations help us rely on Jesus through the ups and downs of life?

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17 (CSB)