Acts 9:20-21
And straightway he preached Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. But all that heard him were amazed, and said; Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this name in Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests?

Straightway Paul preached, as if he could hardly contain himself once he finally learned the truth. And the earnestness which he once used to be a persecutor of the church he now used to convince the Jews that Jesus Christ is who He said He was. What an amazing sight that must have been for a man who had come with the intention to imprison the believers to now be seeking to make believers of others. What zeal and excitement and enthusiasm he must have spoken with to proclaim Christ so boldly after opposing Him for so long.

The people knew who Saul was, and perhaps they would be more open to hear one preaching Christ who had been opposed to Him so strongly before. Perhaps the fact that Saul could change his mind about the whole thing would encourage others to do the same. Perhaps Saul switching sides would be just what it took to reach some other doubting hearts who weren’t quite sure what to believe about Jesus. Maybe their curiosity would draw them to hear him preach when they wouldn’t have bothered to go before.

It’s amazing the kinds of experiences and the kinds of people God will use to proclaim His message and spread His truth among the multitudes. We may feel like our past experiences disqualify us from sharing the message of Christ, but no matter where we come from or what stories we might tell about our past, God can use those kinds of things to reach other people for Him. A stark transformation of a life is a powerful testimony of how He works all the time. And He can use mistakes from our past to bring glory and honor to Himself.

Let’s go forth straightway and preach Christ with our lives to others. Let’s use those things from our past that may cause us shame to somehow bring glory to God, to reach into another sin-filled heart and pull out a desire for Jesus from the depths of it. Let’s not allow our previous denials of God to keep us silent now that we finally have Him in our hearts and know Him as our Savior. Let’s follow Paul’s example and live for Christ in such a way that all we do for Him after our conversion will far overshadow what we’d done before it.