The Gift of Paul

In recent months I have been going to a Bible study of sorts at my church, specifically for moms. The speaker is a mother of 8, sharing her thoughts on "practical Christian living for women". One of the most helpful ideas, though they've all been illuminating, is her encouragement to give God the best part of our day. That could be any time you have some peace in your home. This has freed me up. My longheld belief that devotions should be done in the morning or you've blown it for the day and you might as well wait and try again tomorrow wasn't helping me at all. Now, I look forward to the time I know I will have quiet all around and can spend time reading the Bible and praying. I get excited! That's not happened to me before.
I have been reading through the New Testament, a few chapters a night. In my reading I have found the apostle Paul to be a key character for apologetics. This man was a Pharisee, and a zealous protector of the Jewish law and tradition, killing and arresting Christians or "followers of the Way". After a single interview with Jesus on the road to Damascus, he is utterly transformed - shifting his beliefs and his rhetoric 180. He was bent on telling the truth to everyone, risking his life. He made his travels and boldly spoke and preached and reasoned with Jews and Gentiles - it seems clear to me that nothing but the truth could cause this dedication, this fearless capitulation of a message. He had seen, he understood, there was a message he needed to convey - he was bursting with the truth of Jesus' resurrection, with the fact that he was made witness to God's Son. The words and witness of Paul are a gift - he gives us another compelling reason to believe.