“God, what do You want me to read today? What do you want to teach me?”
Those are the words of the prayer I whispered as I stood in the doorway to the living room as I watched the boys play with their lego and cars at the table. It had been a while since I’d sat down and just sought the Lord’s direction when it came to reading His Word, but on that day I felt the need to seek His face.
I ended up flipping the pages to the Book of Colossians. Before reading I closed my eyes and asked the Holy Spirit for knowledge, wisdom, understanding and discernment; knowing only He can reveal deep truths to me.
I only got as far as the first verse. This is what it reads:
“Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.”
This is what struck me: Paul was an apostle of Christ but only ‘by the will of God.’
Can we take a moment to consider Paul’s life?
In Galatians 1:11-16 we read about where Paul started and how He was called by God.
Paul declares how the message of the gospel preached to him did not come from man.
He was well versed, far beyond many his own age, in the knowledge of his ancestors.
Before his eyes were opened to the truth, his former way of life was in Judaism and as a result he was known for violently persecuting followers of Jesus..
But God had ‘set him apart’ before he was born . . .
We read this in verses 15-16a . . .
“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles . . .”
God set Paul apart before he was even born.
God revealed Himself to Paul when He determined it was the right time.
God’s purpose for Paul was to preach the gospel to the Gentiles.
I think it’s safe to say Paul’s life didn’t go in the direction he expected or even anticipated. He probably didn’t think he would become the very people he was persecuting. But when God stepped in, everything changed. And by the calling God placed on Paul’s life, he trusted God through everything he faced. Paul suffered for the sake of the gospel because he knew his life was in God’s hands.
Here’s a brief list of some of the hardships and persecution Paul endured for the sake of the Gospel, which are found in 2 Corinthians 11:24-28
5x’s he received 39 lashes
3x’s he was beaten with rods
3x’s he was shipwrecked
He was lost at sea
All the dangers he faced on his journeys
He often dealt with no shelter, food, or water
But, despite all these things, the very thing that concerned him the deepest was the well-being of the churches. He wanted to see fellow believers increasing in their faith.
And Paul didn’t seek pity for what he endured for Christ. For him Jesus was worth the cost.
I wonder, are we more eager to walk out our own will for this life or God’s?
Are we even taking the time to ask God what His will for our life is?
This breath in our lungs is borrowed; this life is not our own.
Nothing but God determines our next breath.
But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. - Isaiah 64:8 ESV
Like Paul,
God has set you apart before we were even born.
God has revealed Himself to you at a time He determined was right.
God has a purpose for your life that involves spreading the gospel.
God has been setting the stage for your life and He has allowed you to face challenges, hardships, and walk through seasons of darkness because He is refining you. Your life is a testimony of faith to those you rub shoulders with, but are you using it to proclaim His goodness and to tell others Jesus is worth it?
It’s easy to get caught up and focus on our present affliction and everything that might be going wrong in our life, instead of shifting our gaze upward to the One Who is everything right and asking ourselves some deep questions:
God, what is Your will for this life You’ve breathed into me?
What is my service to You to advance Your kingdom?
How do You want to use me?
Do I care more about my well-being, my comfort and my desires compared to the well-being and growth of Your church?
Remember, this world is not our home and everything changed when God stepped in, renewing our life and redirecting our eternity. We have an eternal hope that far outweighs anything we experience in the flesh.
For now we need to keep our eyes fixed on the prize. We need to continue running this race with endurance, because one day we will fall into the arms of Jesus and He will have been worth every second of our momentary afflictions.
With much love - Krista
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Galatians Bible Study and Verse Writing
Galatians is one of Pauls many letters to the churches and reveals his heart for these people. He genuinely cares about the growth of these churches and seeing them walk in the true Gospel and not fall prey to a false gospel. This is such a great book to dive into to inspire you and give you the framework to be a better minister of God's Word!
This is a chapter by chapter study through repeated reading, written reflection and simple questions that walk your through the verses. Dive deeper into study with the accompanying Scripture Writing Plan, that brings you through the entire book in just 30 days; also provided is a list of key verses with cross references too!
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