“Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” Matthew 24:45,46
At the beginning of almost every letter written by the Apostle Paul, we find a short greeting relating to his calling, a calling that never left him, and of which he was always conscious. For example, to the Roman believers he would write: “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God.” (Rom. 1:1) To the Galatians, he wrote: “Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead.” (1:1) And finally, in his first letter to Timothy, he wrote: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope.” (1 Tim. 1:1) In all of these introductory greetings to the various believers of his day, Paul reveals to them that he has a calling from God, from Christ. It is clealy to be an apostle, with the authority unto edification which goes with it. He reveals that it is a constant reality that he not only acknowledges, but by which he lives and ministers. Paul had come to realize very early, and clearly, in his relationship with Christ, that he, like every believer has a specific calling, one that is pending, or that remains in tact, and does not change. We see something of the personableness and power of that calling by the Lord’s words to Ananias, when he feared to go and meet with Saul of Tarsus, who was a persecutor of the Christians. The Lord said to Ananias, “Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” (Acts 9:15,16) The calling of the Apostle was primarily to devotion to Christ, as His vessel, that instrument through which, and by the Spirit, the blessings of heaven revealed in Christ, and in the church, would be revealed then, and thousands of years afterwards. Certainly Paul would never have dreamed how much, and to what extent, the blessing of Christ through the knowledge of the Gospel, would reach the far corners of the globe, with one day the redeemed from all ages, and nations, standing and praising the Father, and Lamb, by the Spirit, for His mercy and grace. So, how is it that Saul of Tarsus, having become Paul the Apostle, could be truly effective, and greatly fruitful?
The first part of the answer to that question lies in knowledge, the knowledge of God in Christ, and then the knowledge of His will. Throughout the Scriptures, we find the Lord Jesus revealing Himself to men, making them to see and know that He was, and IS God. With that vision comes not only a certain knowledge of the truth concerning His authority and power, but also, of His faithfulness to provide for every need so that His will can and will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Secondly, with the revealtion of the person of Christ, and the holiness of God, there was the unveiling to the individual heart the knowledge and conviction of what was the calling of that individual. From Abraham, to Moses, to Gideon, to the prophets, until we come to the supreme example that we see in the Lord Jesus, there was revealed the calling of God to the indiividual heart, in powerful, simple, convincing clarity. With that revelation came another. It was the promise of God of HIs presence, His power, His perfect provision, for the realization of that calling. From the example of the Apostle Paul to the calling of every believer in the body of Christ, there is the constant, present obligation, acknowledgement, and embracing of Christ for its complete realization, fulfillment.
Dear Father, Fulfill Thy calling today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.