February 17, the sweet designs of God.

He set me apart before I was born and called me by His Grace.

Galatians 115.

Ponder the conversion of Paul, the sovereignty of Christ, and what Paul's sins have to do with your salvation.

Paul said that God set me apart before I was born, and then years later on the Damascus Road

called me by His Grace, Galatians 115.

This means that between Paul's birth and his call on the Damascus Road,

he wasn't already chosen, not yet called, instrument of God.

X 915, 2214. This means that Paul was beating and

imprisoning and murdering Christians as a God-chosen, soon-to-be-made Christian missionary.

As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus,

about noon, a great light from heaven suddenly shone around me, and I fell to the ground

and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?

X. 22, 6 through 7.

There was no denying or escaping it.

God had chosen him for this before he was born, and now he would take him.

The Word of Christ was sovereign. There was no negotiating. Rise. Go into Damascus.

There you will be told all that is appointed for you to do. Acts 2210.

Damascus was not Paul's final free will yielding to Christ after decades of futile divine effort to save him. No. God had a time for choosing him before he was born and a time for

calling him on the Damascus Road, God called, and the call produced the yielding.

Therefore, the sins that God permitted between Paul's birth and his calling were part of the plan,

since God could have called him sooner.

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