Acts 22:16-22 - And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.

In this passage, Paul recounts his conversion experience to the crowd in Jerusalem. He describes how Jesus appeared to him on the road to Damascus and called him to preach the gospel. Though Paul was persecuting Christians, Jesus showed him grace and called him to be his witness. After this vision, Paul was blinded for three days and did not eat or drink anything until Ananias came and told Paul that Jesus had sent him to restore his sight and fill him with the Holy Spirit. Ananias instructed Paul to be baptized to wash away his sins and call on the name of the Lord. This passage shows the transformational power of God's grace to save even the worst of sinners. Though Paul was violently opposed to Jesus, Christ still had mercy on him and dramatically changed the course of his life by appointing him to preach the gospel.

This passage is a testament to the depths of Christ's love and the power of his grace to change lives. Paul was an enemy of Jesus, yet the Lord still had compassion on him and revealed himself to Paul in a vision. This should give us hope, knowing that no one is beyond the reach of God's mercy. Even if we have rejected Christ or turned our backs on him, he still loves us and desires to bring us to repentance. Paul's dramatic conversion also reminds us that following Jesus requires complete surrender. When Christ confronted Paul, he immediately surrendered and was ready to obey Jesus' command to preach the gospel, even though it meant suffering. As believers, we too must daily surrender our lives to follow wherever Jesus leads. We may not have a Damascus road experience, but obedience to Christ will still transform how we live and give us a new purpose.

Gracious God, we thank you for the testimony of Paul's conversion and pray it would remind us of the power of your grace to change lives. Give us hearts willing to surrender everything to follow you. Transform us to become bold witnesses for Christ, ready to share the gospel with others. Amen.