GetWisdom PaperturnSampler FINAL SinglePages - Flipbook - Page 61
Living for What Really Matters
PHILIPPIANS
same after his encounter with Jesus. Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ became his only goal, and
he willingly left the safety of his old life to share the good news with the world. Four missionary
journeys took him through areas of the globe that had yet to hear the name of Jesus, and he faced
almost constant danger:
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and
a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from
robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the
wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a
sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. (2 Corinthians
11:25-27, ESV)
If we flip back over to Acts 9:16, we see that God let Ananias in on what lay in store for this
murderer-turned-apostle. The Lord knew that Paul would suffer for the sake of His name. Yet,
because Paul-made-new was filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, he could see God’s deeper purpose in every struggle. The
struggle was not beyond the reach of God, and every bit of pain was worth God’s Kingdom
reaching the ends of the earth.
I’m sure Paul sometimes felt unqualified and inadequate in the face of such a difficult calling.
But you know what? When we feel unqualified and inadequate, we can fully lean on the One who
is able to do all things.
This is important for us to realize: if we’re capable and qualified for God’s task, we probably
overshot our opportunity. If we think we’re ready and proficient enough to succeed, we’re
probably missing out on the thing God is asking us to do.
Do you feel capable and qualified in your calling? Where have you gotten comfortable, and do
you think you might be missing something more that God is calling you to?
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God qualifies the called; He doesn’t call the qualified. That’s certainly true of Paul. He had
participated in persecution and murder of God’s people. I’m sure he often felt massively over his
head as he faced persecution and prison.
But guess what—being over our heads is actually a good thing. If we’re living in self-reliance
and self-sufficiency, we’ve made ourselves god. God wants us to join Him in His Kingdom work,
and to be up to that task, we have to recognize our insufficiency and lean on His ultimate
sufficiency.
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