Saul...Paul

Besides Jesus, there are certain characters that I favour in the Bible such as Gideon, Esther and Paul among others. But my favourite character is Paul.

I like and appreciate his life story for several reasons:

(1) That he taught us to embrace positivity or optimism even when faced with challenges and obstacles, and to have faith and trust in God in those difficult times that He has a plan for us.

(2) That he encouraged his followers to treat others with compassion and respect, namely love, regardless of their differences, whatever shape that takes e.g. skin colour, nationality etc. He taught us to be kind and loving towards friends, family, and even strangers.These I find especially important when witnessing to others about Jesus being Lord and Saviour.

(3) That he was a warrior even without the visible armour about his body because he persevered through many hardships which included imprisonment and persecution for his beliefs and we can do the same because God will enable us. I find this especially appealing since I was always the shy and timid kid who was always afraid of others' criticism but in high school I decided to ditch that version and go for faith in God because between now when I'm young and healthy and when death comes nearer that's not the way I want to die.

(4) That he used his talents and gifts such as being a skilled writer and speaker to spread the teachings of Jesus and share his own story of transformation. I

find this to be one way that we can serve others and make a positive impact in the world. This resonates with me because it's one way to feel useful whereas I would've continued to feel not.

(5) That he sought to deepen his wisdom and understanding by devoutly looking to God's Word for it. This too, we should practice daily because just as our bodies need refreshment daily so those our spirit.

(6) That he demonstrated humility and service towards others despite all his accomplishments and leadership in the early Christian church, and he remained humble and grateful even in times of success and prosperity. I'm reminded that we can do the same by humbly serving those around us and using our resources and abilities to help those in need and stay humble and grateful throughout while giving credit to God for the successes and achievements.

(7) That we can learn from him to practice forgiveness and let go of bitterness and resentment towards others because he eventually came to forgive himself and others, and other Christians came to forgive him as well for all the horrible things he had done to them.

(8) That he was unafraid to stand up for his beliefs, even in the face of opposition and persecution. He remained steadfast in his faith and continued to spread the message of love and salvation, even if it was unpopular and challenging.

(9) Lastly, that he trusted in God for his that His plan is always for our ultimate good just as Romans 8:28 says. Here we can learn to surrender our own desires and trust in God's perfect plan for our lives because His is far better or beyond than our own.

There's a quote that says there's only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. But I refuse to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing because as Jesus and Paul taught me, that's not how I want to live and die.