A bad dude

The apostle Paul was one bad dude in his life prior to coming to Christ.  He was a murderer, plain and simple.  He was not a nice man, and I would guess that anyone who knew him back in the day most likely would have shared that Paul exhibited all of the qualities of one without a conscience...at all.  He was a documented bad dude.

We are first introduced to Paul when he was Saul of Tarsus. He was standing over the first Christian martyr Stephen looking on as Stephen was stoned to death. From this gruesome introduction to the completion of his missionary journeys Paul has become a champion and hero in the Christian faith.
Before becoming the great missionary evangelist, Paul was known as Saul the persecutor of the Christian church. As a devout Jew Saul sought to quiet the quickly growing movement of men and women who followed Jesus Christ. He had permission from the High Priest to persecute those found worshiping the Lord.  (from:  What Christians want to know)

Here's the kicker.  He accepted Christ and became one of the apostles.  Does that not seem a bit far out?  He was chosen by Jesus to carry the message, and he did it in an extraordinary and flourishing manner.  And the thing I especially like about Paul is the honesty in his writings.  He states in Romans 7: 15 "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do, I don't do, but what I hate, I do." 

I don't know about you, but I have made that statement about myself many, many times.  And I get frustrated by the fact that in my brokenness I keep going back to so many things that I have "sworn off " of.  At those times I try to remember Paul.  A bad dude who became an apostle. A dude, who while in his apostleship was keenly aware of his own brokenness.  A bad dude who has such a positive effect on so many lives, even while yet struggling with his own brokenness.  I don't know about you, but I find an enormous amount of inspiration there.

Will you or I ever become "Pauls"?  I'd have to say we already are.  As men, husbands, and fathers who continue to struggle with our own brokenness and sin, and yet still aspire to do all that is within us become stronger followers of Christ, we are no more, nor any less a man, than Paul was.  We're not bad dudes, we're Pauls.  And we have all the opportunity in the world to share our "Paulness" with our world as Paul did in his.

I find that exhilarating don't you?   Go ahead.....be a Paul.