Devotional: God Specializes in Lost Causes

Galatians 1:15-16  But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood,


This verse says that God had marked out the Apostle Paul from birth as one that He was going to use to preach about Him to the Gentiles.  Think with me for a minute, what was Paul like before God saved Him?

1Corinthians 15:9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Galatians 1:13 For ye have heard of my conversation in time past in the Jews' religion, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it:

Acts 9:1-2 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

Paul was one to be feared by the Christians.

 Acts 9:13-14 Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.

It almost seems to be me that Ananias had the opinion that Paul was a lost cause.  He  had sunk so low that the Christians didn't think there was any way God could or would save him.

Take a look at God's response to Ananias' doubts.

Acts 9:15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

"He is a chosen vessel unto me..."  God knew what He was doing and had him chosen long before he was ever born.

Do you have loved ones and friends who seem so far gone that you have given up hope of them ever getting right with God and getting their lives turned around?  Take encouragement from the story of Paul.  There are none so far gone that they are out of God's reach.  We should never lose hope and write anyone off as being too far gone to be saved.  God specializes in lost causes!  Some of our "lost causes" could very well be chosen vessels for God.  Keep praying, you never know what God might do!