There were a couple of things that stood out to me in today’s reading. The first was in Saul’s conversion when The Lord speaks to Ananias and says, 15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” It is very clear that Jesus is fully responsible for Paul’s conversion, but what I found interesting is that even though Paul is completely turned around, he is still going to suffer according to these verses (we see this throughout the rest of Paul’s life) Let none of us ever think that a life of following Jesus is going to be like a bed of roses, in reality, it is more like a bed of rose bushes. There is certainly beauty in it and a sense of pure joy as we cultivate our walk with Him, but there is also suffering to be felt in order to attain it. The older I get, the more I realize that pain is a part of living a fulfilled life. The U.S. Marine Corps has an amazing saying, “Pain is just weakness leaving the body” For us it can be said, Suffering is just obedience entering our souls.

The second thing that stood out to me today was Peter’s raising Tabitha from the dead in verse 40, Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. Yes, this is the same Peter who denied Jesus three times. God can use any of us for great things if we just allow Him to use us. No matter how bad We have made mistakes, Jesus’ mercy and grace is much more powerful than our sin. Jesus conquered sin once and for all and our past or present sins do not limit His ability to use us.