| July 31 | ||
| Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God ... | ||
| Ephesians 1:1 | ||
| ‘Make your calling and election sure,’ Peter declared (II Peter 1:10). Paul was one who knew his calling. He was called by the will of God to be an apostle, prepared for it from the earliest days of his life. Growing up the son of a rabbi, seated at the feet of Gamaliel — the foremost rabbinical scholar of the day — Paul eventually became a member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. And all of his studying, all of his efforts to be righteous in his own energy, all of his attempts to keep the Law blamelessly would be preparatory to make him the minister of the Gospel of Grace. Not only did Paul know his calling — he also knew his Bible. And with this knowledge came the absolute frustration of trying to live under legalism and religiosity. Consequently, all of his life experiences were preparing him to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. The same is true for you. You see, God wants to place each one of us in the spot for which He has prepared us from the beginning. God’s will is not something which is heavy or difficult. No, God’s will fits perfectly with the make-up of your personality and with what He’s taken you through in life experientially. God sees where He wants you to serve Him — whether that be on a construction site, a classroom, or a courtroom; as a butcher, baker, or banker. We often make a mistake in thinking that what we’re doing is second best, that if we were really serious about our faith, we’d be in ‘full-time ministry’. Wrong. The Lord stations His men and women ingeniously where He sees they can minister most effectively so that the people around them will be impacted eternally. What has God prepared and trained you to do? Be content to do what God has called you to do — to serve where He has placed you — for yours is just as holy and high a calling as that of any preacher or apostle. | ||
