Saul of Tarsus was not a villain. He was a serious man, a learned man, a man of deep conviction who believed with everything in him that he was doing the right thing. He was a Pharisee, trained in the finest traditions of Jewish law and scholarship, and he had concluded that the followers of Jesus of Nazareth posed a dangerous threat to the faith he loved. He had watched Stephen stoned to death and had approved of it. He had gone from house to house, dragging men and women off to prison. He was, by his own later account, zealous beyond his peers.

What Saul could not see — what his very certainty prevented him from seeing — were the people in front of him. They were not people to him. They were a problem to be solved, an error to be corrected, a threat to be eliminated. His theological precision, his clarity about right and wrong, had somehow drained the humanity out of every face he encountered. He knew what they represented. He did not see who they were.

And then the light. And then the voice. And the voice does not say what we might expect. Jesus does not tell Saul that his theology is wrong, or that he has misread the scriptures, or that he has violated the law. He says something far more personal, and far more devastating: "Why are you persecuting me?" Not my people. Not my followers. Me. Every person Saul had dragged from their home, every family he had broken apart, every man and woman he had delivered to suffering — Jesus had been there in every one of them. Saul had never been fighting an abstraction. He had been raising his hand against Christ himself.

Saul is struck blind. The man who was certain he could see everything — who had clarity about truth and error that most of us can barely imagine — suddenly cannot see at all. He has to be led by the hand into the city. He sits in the darkness for three days, unable to eat, unable to drink, unable to act. Before he can become Paul, before he can become the apostle to the Gentiles and the author of some of the greatest words in all of scripture, he has to sit with what he has done. The blindness is not a punishment. It is a gift. It is the only thing that could stop him long enough to be transformed.

We are not so different from Saul. We may not persecute anyone. But we know what it is to be so certain of our own rightness that the people in front of us stop being people. We do it with those who hold different political views, different theological convictions, different ways of living their lives. We see what they represent before we see who they are. Our certainties blind us, quietly and completely, and we rarely notice it happening.

Jesus tells Saul — and tells us — that the person in front of you is not an abstraction. That person is someone for whom Christ died. That person, in some profound and mysterious way, is Christ himself. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus says that whatever we do to the least of those around us, we do to him. The Damascus road is that same truth, arriving not as invitation but as confrontation. The call of the Kingdom is to see the face in front of us before we see anything else.

Our Father, forgive us for the times our certainties have blinded us to the people around us. Open our eyes to see in every person we encounter the face of Christ himself. And when you need to stop us in our tracks to teach us that lesson, give us the grace to sit still and listen. Amen.

This devotion was written and read by Jim Stovall.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Have you ever noticed how often in Scripture… God calls someone, and instead of placing them in a position of leadership right away… He places them in a position of service?

We see it so clearly in 1 Kings 19.

Elijah has just walked through exhaustion, fear, and restoration. And then God calls Elisha.

And Elisha's response is striking.

He doesn't hesitate. He doesn't negotiate. He doesn't ask for a plan. He returns home… He takes the very oxen that represent his livelihood… He sacrifices them… He burns the plow… And then he follows Elijah.

But here's what's easy to miss. He doesn't step into a leadership role right away. Scripture says… "He became his servant."

Before Elisha ever speaks as a prophet… Before miracles… Before influence… He serves.

And this is not just Elisha's story. This is God's pattern. Joshua served Moses. David served before he was king. The disciples followed and served before they were sent. And even Jesus said… "I did not come to be served, but to serve."

In God's Kingdom, serving is not a lesser role. It is the forming place. It's where God shapes humility. It's where He builds faithfulness. It's where He teaches us to depend on Him, not position.

Because leadership in God's Kingdom doesn't begin on a platform. It begins in quiet obedience. In showing up. In caring for others. In doing what no one else sees.

And maybe today… the question isn't, "When will I lead?" Maybe the question is, "Am I willing to serve… even if no one notices?"

Because the truth is… God develops the heart in serving before He reveals the calling in leading.

So wherever you are today— in the quiet, unseen places… Be encouraged. God is not overlooking you. He is preparing you.

Lord, teach us to serve with a willing and humble hearts. Help us to be faithful in the small things, and to trust that You are working even when we cannot see it. Shape us in the hidden places, so that we may reflect You in whatever You call us to. Amen.

This devotional was written by Marcia Prill and read by Judy Wilson.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.

Mary Magdalene stands outside the tomb, weeping. She has seen Jesus die. Whatever hope she once carried has been buried with him. Even when she turns and sees a man standing there, she does not recognize him. Why would she? Resurrection is not what she expects.

She assumes he is the gardener. She speaks to him out of grief and confusion, still trying to make sense of what has been lost.

And then everything changes with a single word.

"Mary."

Jesus does not argue with her. He does not explain what has happened. He does not offer proof or theology. He simply calls her by name.

And in that moment, she knows.

There is something deeply personal here. Mary does not come to belief through explanation but through recognition. She knows the voice. It is the voice of the one who has known her, called her, and loved her.

It echoes what Jesus said earlier: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, CEB).

We often want clarity before we trust. We want answers before we respond. But Mary's experience suggests something different. Recognition can come before understanding. Relationship can come before explanation.

Jesus still calls people by name.

He meets us in places of grief, confusion, and unanswered questions. He speaks, not always in ways we expect, but in ways that reach us personally.

Faith, then, is not figuring everything out. It is recognizing that we are known.

And when we hear our name spoken in love, we begin to see what we could not see before.

Father, thank you for calling us into relationship with you through Jesus. Help us to know the voice of our shepherd and follow it. In the name of the one who calls to us, Amen.

This devotional was written and read by Donn King.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.