Paul's Path

"But when God, who set me apart from birth, and called me through His grace, and called me by his grace, was pleased,to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles..."  (Galatians 1:15-16a).

Paul, first known as Saul of Tarsus, was person of divine destiny, just like you. His specific calling was to be an apostle to the Gentiles.

You may not be called to plant churches, but as a member of Christ's body, you are called to do something. Therefore, like Paul, you can say that you were "set apart from your mother's womb" for a divine purpose. The circumstances of your life have not occurred by pure chance.

I'm afraid that too many Christians have a sub-biblical view of their existence. If you ask them, "Why are you here?" they respond with something like, "When two people are married, they usually have babies. I was one of those babies born into the world." 

They see themselves as a number--another product off the assembly line. Such a sub-biblical view leads to a sub-biblical life. What a tragedy it is for any Christian to live a mundane, purposeless life, ignorant of the special purpose for which he or she was created (and re-created).

Although Paul was set apart from his mother's womb to be an apostle to the Gentiles, when we are first introduced to him in Acts 7, do we find him fulfilling his calling, preaching to the Gentiles? Not exactly; rather, we find him holding the coats of the folks who were stoning Stephen--the church's first martyr. 

Shortly thereafter, God began to reveal to Paul the destiny that he was to fulfill. When Ananias, whom God commissioned to go and lay his hands on Paul, understandably protested that Paul was not the kind of person whom Christians wanted to be near, God said to him, "Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." (Acts. 9:15-16)

There you have Paul's divine destiny in a nutshell. He was destined to bear Jesus' name before (primarily) the Gentiles, (secondarily) kings, and (thirdly) the Jews. As a result, he would suffer a great deal for the cause of Christ.

Paul was one who fulfilled his divine destiny. A few years before his martyrdom, he declared during his farewell sermon to the Ephesian elders, "...I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."  (Acts. 20:24)

It seems that even then Paul realized his divine destiny included martyrdom. He wrote to the Philippians, "I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." (Phil. 1:20)

Finally, while being held in Rome, Paul penned these words, "For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing."  (2 Tim. 4:6-8)

Will you be able to say at the time of your departure from this earth that you have finished the course God planned for your life? Will you have realized your divine destiny? How will you answer the great Judge when He asks you on that day, "Did you follow My plans for your life, or your own?

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