Monday: Paul the Man
Personality traits are an individual’s typical responses to surrounding domestic, cultural, or educational circumstances. Character is the combination of traits, qualities and abilities that make up what sort of person an individual is.
Read Acts 9:1, Philippians 3:6, Philippians 3:8; 1 Corinthians 15:9,1 Corinthians 15:10; 1 Timothy 1:16; Galatians 1:14; and 2 Corinthians 11:23-33. What do these texts tell us about Paul’s character and personality?
Paul was clearly a man of great conviction and zeal.
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Before his born-again experience, he used his zeal to persecute the early church. He supported the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58), took the initiative in imprisoning Christian women as well as men (Acts 8:3), made murderous threats against the disciples (Acts 9:1) and organized a raid on Christians in a foreign country (Acts 9:2, Gal. 1:13).
At the same time, too, we can see how Paul’s zeal and fervency were to be used for good, as he dedicated his life to the preaching of the gospel, despite incredible hardships and challenges. Only a man totally dedicated to what he believed would have done as he did. And though he lost all things for Christ, he counted them as rubbish,
which comes from a Greek word that means something which is useless, like garbage. Paul understood what was important in life and what wasn’t.
Paul was also a humble man. No doubt, partly from the guilt of his former persecution of Christians, he viewed himself as unworthy of his high calling. And also as someone who preached the righteousness of Christ as our only hope of salvation, he knew just how sinful he was in contrast to a holy God, and such knowledge was more than enough to keep him humble, surrendered, and grateful.
One ray of the glory of God, one gleam of the purity of Christ, penetrating the soul, makes every spot of defilement painfully distinct, and lays bare the deformity and defects of the human character. It makes apparent the unhallowed desires, the infidelity of the heart, the impurity of the lips.
—Ellen G. White, Steps to Christ, p. 29.
None of us is immune to pride. How should focusing on the Cross, and what it means, cure anyone of that sin?
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Paul knew how to get spiritual breakthroughs too because he includes "... in fastings often ..." and everyone knows what that means.
poule was Benjamin tribe he got both character we can find it in jecob blessing he was like a wolf at night and right hand 4 his family at day. God changed his character and make him pricher of his word and make him member of 144000 rev.14
what a belles.
Perhaps one great value of the gift of reason to mankind is that one may change his/her mind for good. When Saul met Jesus on the way to Damascus he found a compelling reason to change his mind and allow the Holy Spirit to change his heart (Acts 9:3-9). To make the turnaround from prominent persecutor to exceptional evangelist required uncommon humility (Philippians 3:7, 8).
God may at times allow saints with good intentions to get things wrong for an extended time to test character. Yet when the light shines humility is required to make a change for good. And the saints may have to take a hit.
Sometimes it calls for considerable humility to change one’s mind when much time and effort have been invested in a cause which later turns out not to be the right course. This is especially so in matters of religious belief. Often the main obstacle to conversion is not doctrine, but lack of humility, the unwillingness to acknowledge being wrong.
The thought of embarrassment and ridicule weighs heavily on the mind and it may seem easier just to carry on and double down rather than yield and turn. It is an indication that self remains alive when one has light shine on his/her error, but calculates that saving face will serve him/her better than acknowledging and changing course.
Saul did not reason that he had gone too far and invested too much, or that the formerly persecuted Christians would not forgive or accept him. Nor did he slip into hiding and hope that time would erase some of the memories. Instead he immediately answered the call (Acts 9:20) and accepted the consequences (Acts 9:13, 21-26). The revealed way is to be emptied of self (1 Corinthians 15:10).
Unless one is already perfect we all have a problem with self. Like Paul we may pray to die to self daily so we may serve rightly Him who is truly Selfless, our Savior and Lord (1 Corinthians 15:31).
Humility is not inherent in sinful beings. We need to desire it,and pray for it. As God reveals our errors as church members, even as a church, may we be humble enough to ask Him for forgiveness and a willingness to change so He can use us as vessels of honour like Paul was.
Such an astonishing revelation. It proves to us that no matter what we have been through, there is hope in Jesus our Lord.
Paul's conversion story illustrated the velocity of the turning point but also the slow trajectory of adopting a new paradigm and allowing a Holy Spirit-lead change of mind. Three years in Arabia after his conversion (Galatians 1 :17) ... He goes, as Moses and Elijah of old, perhaps to Mount Horeb (Jebel Musa). Three years of relearning, "away from it all" to return to Damascus and then to Jerusalem to meet the apostles and pouring out his God-given energy in the right direction. May we learn that "all thing are possible to God". We all have a chance to be transformed. Check out this monograph on Paul's journey to Arabia:
http://ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Paul_Arabia_Elijah.pdf
I truly believe that when on e sets his eyes or focus on the cross, that the thoughts of self drift farther away.Indeed we are not immune to pride , but when you embark to give up on self and let God steer you .... love holds you and puts self away.
Only God can change us to his likeness when we totally surrender our lives to him.
Focusing on how Jesus gave Himself, selflessly, on the cross for sinners such as ourselves causes us to, like Paul, reject any feelings of pride. It causes us to see our sinfulness as exceedingly sinful in light of how pure Christ is. Focusing on Jesus allows us to take in His characteristics into our sentiments, thoughts, and actions, and to be transformed by Christ- just as Paul was.