Accomplishing Our Mission in Life
I had a good restful day off today, and I hope you had a very good day, too. This morning I read the devotional in Experiencing God Day by Day as I usually do. The verse and the theme spoke to me about a couple of things I have been thinking about lately. When Paul was speaking to King Agrippa in Acts 26:19, he made an amazing statement. He said, "I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision." He was speaking about his conversion on the road to Damascus and the fact that God called him to be the apostle to the Gentiles. After pursuing that ministry for a number of years, he could tell Agrippa that he had been obedient to God's mission for his life. How many of us will be able to make such a statement?
I am sure that some of you are thinking that if you had such a dramatic conversion experience and call to the ministry, you would be faithful, too. However, I wonder if that is true. In Luke 1 we read about how God filled John, the Baptist, with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, and the angel announced his ministry to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus. Some people might say that John was a robot, and he could not have been disobedient to that call, but I do not believe that. In fact, I believe that God has a ministry for every Christian that He has laid out in advance. (Ephesians 2:10) However, it is up to each of us to discern that ministry and to fulfill it in obedience to the Lord. That is why this verse is so significant. Paul could say that He was not disobedient. I wonder what I will be able to say to the Lord when that time comes in my life. I think it is a very important question for each of us to answer a day at a time, a year at a time, and ultimately at the end of our lives. After all, we do want to live a life pleasing to the Lord, don't we?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 25-26 and Matthew 20:17-34.
I am sure that some of you are thinking that if you had such a dramatic conversion experience and call to the ministry, you would be faithful, too. However, I wonder if that is true. In Luke 1 we read about how God filled John, the Baptist, with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb, and the angel announced his ministry to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus. Some people might say that John was a robot, and he could not have been disobedient to that call, but I do not believe that. In fact, I believe that God has a ministry for every Christian that He has laid out in advance. (Ephesians 2:10) However, it is up to each of us to discern that ministry and to fulfill it in obedience to the Lord. That is why this verse is so significant. Paul could say that He was not disobedient. I wonder what I will be able to say to the Lord when that time comes in my life. I think it is a very important question for each of us to answer a day at a time, a year at a time, and ultimately at the end of our lives. After all, we do want to live a life pleasing to the Lord, don't we?
Tomorrow, I intend to read Exodus 25-26 and Matthew 20:17-34.