Day 184

2 Kings 22:3-23:30; Acts 21:37-22:16; Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 18:11-12

God Knows Better

It seems like the stories of prophets and evangelists throughout Scripture often share a common theme. They usually display some sort of pride stemming from the idea that they know how things “should be.” All have some sort of encounter with God that puts them in their place. Anytime Paul recounts his conversion experience, he always speaks of his life before the change. He speaks about how cruel he was to Christians. How he believed he was in a place to perform such actions because of his heritage, position, and knowledge. His encounter with Jesus changed everything for him. It flipped pride for humility. Cruelty for compassion. His old ways could no longer survive once salvation was experienced through grace.

When we experience God in this way, we must be changed as well. Sin can no longer chain us to the “ways of the wicked.” We are no longer subject to condemnation, so we should “delight in the law of the Lord.” To humble ourselves before God means to hand over control. If we still think that we know better, we’re not truly submitting to God’s will. Paul was such a beautiful example of this. He lived a life of complete submission, knowing God’s way was better than his. This is why Paul is considered to be one of the greatest evangelists. He simply took on the mission God had for him. He fulfilled his purpose. We should desire to live like this. As Proverbs 18 says, “humility comes before honor.”

Zack Nichols