Galatians 1:1
“Paul, an apostle (not sent from men nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),”
Paul was specially chosen as he was traveling on his way to Damascus. At that time, he was on his way to make arrests to stop the growth of Christianity. Jesus appeared to him and asked why he was persecuting Him. The appearance temporarily blinded Paul and he fell off his horse (Acts 9). Thus began the amazing ministry of Paul.
God personally calls and leads us to Himself, as well. Jeremiah 31:3 says, ‘The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”‘ With 7.7 billion people on the earth, this doesn’t possible. However, God’s love and abilities are so great, He knows the troubles of each heart and draws us”
At what point does God take notice of us? Psalm 139:13 says, “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.” We weren’t an assembly line creation, but one in which God took great care and pride in each of us. It began in our mother’s womb.
God’s invisible hand has protected us. More importantly, He seeks to draw our hearts to connect with Him. He speaks to us all through creation. Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
Unfortunately, our culture wars against Him. Theories are proposed to undermine the creation. Atheists say that God is a myth. Entertainment says that the limitations proposed by the Bible are outdated and boring. There are who believe this and many are respected, giving the feeling of comfort of the majority. In all of this, God’s voice still calls out and He uses circumstances to draw us. We all have to choose for or against Him. Just as Paul did.
What happens next? Matthew 16:25 says, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” If we choose Christ, we are doing the latter, we are losing our life for His sake. Thus, we truly find life. We begin this grand adventure with our Maker. Paul’s life went from bitter and angry to joyful and generous. His gifts were maximized by reaching the gentiles for Christ and by writing one third of the New Testament. The Lord fills us with joy, as we’re are living life as it was intended. He also maximizes our gifts and uses us for His glory. If we seek ourselves over Him, He will honor that, but in that choice one’s life is lost.
Lord, thank You for Your calling. Help us all to accept that and begin our own grand adventure.