“But Lord,” exclaimed Ananias, “I have heard about the terrible things this man has done to the believers in Jerusalem! But the Lord said, “Go and do what I say.
For Paul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the nations and before kings, as well as to the people of Israel.
Acts 9:13, 15 (TLB)
How many times have we looked at others and thought, “There’s no way THEY could ever be saved! They are too awful!”? Sometimes we reject the “unacceptable” and judge the lost, rather than loving, inviting, and reaching even the most hardened of hearts. Instead of rejecting Paul for his ruthless past, Jesus used him more than anyone in history to shape Christianity. After Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was transformed from frenzied persecutor of Christians to the most powerful witness of all time. God used every bit of Paul’s past to shape who Paul would become for God’s own purposes.
When we make judgments and form hard opinions regarding others, we limit God. Not His power or His ability to transform others’ hearts, but when we make God small and call our opinions “truth”, we limit the transformation of our own. Our job is to love, and our role in God’s Kingdom is to make disciples. So perhaps we are simply judging the wrong heart. Because the only evidence of a life surrendered to Jesus is heart transformation. If our heart isn’t looking more and more like Jesus’ heart, and our life isn’t looking more and more like Jesus’ earthly life, it could mean that the “unacceptable” heart is the one beating in our own chest. We are called to do what Jesus did, and Jesus did not come to judge (John 3:17); He came to love and to give LIFE (John 3:16)!
If you are truly living your life as a follower of Christ, then you are following His example. As a Christ-follower you will spend your time loving and discipling, not judging and rejecting. Ask Jesus to put people in your path who will help open your eyes to what He is calling you to do. Ask Him to transform your heart, as He did Paul’s, and make you into a powerful witness for Him. He will use every bit of your past to shape you into the servant He created you to be. And your heart will be beautiful—just like His! You are loved!