Glory be to God for Paul

But they were hearing only, “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in me. (Galatians 1:23-24)

The apostle Paul did not confer with flesh and blood after he had received the revelation of Christ and his mission to preach among the Gentiles. Also, he did not go up to Jerusalam to meet with the 12 apostles. Instead, he went to Arabia. After some time there, he returned again to Damascus.

It was 3 years later that he went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and James, the Lord's brother.

After that, he went into the region of Syria and Cilicia.

The apostle Paul insisted that he was telling the truth; he did not lie when he made all these statements.

The apostle Paul was unknown by face to the Christians in Judea. But they had heard of him:  “He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy.” And they glorified God in him.

The apostle Paul needed no introduction. He was in full view. His life was in the open.

We have here Paul's full submission to the lordship of Christ.

We have here Paul's total dependence on the sufficiency of God.

We have here Paul's continued faithfulness to God's mission that was revealed to him.

Paul was fully committed to the Gospel.

Even the Jewish Christians in Judea heard about him, though they had never seen him face to face.

They knew him once as an enemy of Christ, bent on destroying Christians.

Then, they heard about him again. This time as a fervent preacher of the faith, preaching Christ and planting churches everywhere he went.

God has done a great work in the life of Paul.

He had chosen him before the beginning of time.

He had called him and revealed His Son to him. 

He had saved him from His wrath and eternal death.

He had called him to be an apostle to the Gentiles. 

He had called him to preach to kings and rulers. 

He had put a heavy burden on him for the salvation of his fellow Jews.

The apostle Paul was committed and faithful to God. 

He preached and labored more for Christ everywhere he went.

People everywhere were talking about him. 

He needed no introduction. He needed no publicity.

Once they looked down on him because he persecuted the Christian.

Then they looked up to him as hero of faith.

Glory be to God for Paul!

May God use us also for His Glory! Amen and Amen!

The Virtue of Waiting

Waiting is hard.

We wait in traffic,

We wait in the queue,

We wait in the line...

We wait in the grocery store,

We wait in the gas station,

We wait in the clinic...

We wait in the cold and dark,

We wait in the heat and rain...

We twiddle our thumbs,

We stifle our yawns, 

We fret inwardly in frustration...

In Psalm 40:1-3, David says, 

“I waited patiently for the Lord;

And He inclined to me,

And heard my cry.

He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,

Out of the miry clay,

And set my feet upon a rock,

And established my steps.

He has put a new song in my mouth—

Praise to our God;

Many will see it and fear,

And will trust in the Lord.” 

David waited and waited and waited for God to answer his prayer. 

Yet as he looks back at this time of delay, he praises God. 

Waiting is good, 

Here we develop the virtues of submission, humility, patience, joyful endurance, persistence in well-doing...

Virtues that take years to learn.

Have Thine own way, Lord! 

Have Thine own way!

Thou art the Potter, 

I am the clay;

Mold me and make me after Thy will,

While I am waiting, yielded and still. 

Waiting for God is never a waste of time.

The Parable Of The Wicked Vine-Dressers

Matthew 21:33-46

Passage

This parable was about the Jewish nation who had enjoyed the special care and goodness of God for centuries.

God had given them good laws. God had favored them above other nations. But they still rejected Him.

God had sent the Old Testament prophets and John the Baptist to them. But they tortured and killed them.

God then sent His Son to them. But they did not respect His Son! They murdered the sinless Savior!

God finally rejected the Jewish nation. The Kingdom is given to other nations! It was given to the Church!

Response

Let us respect the Son of God by obeying Him, and by giving Him first place in our lives.

Prayer

Oh God, help me submit to Your Son, and serve Him only! Amen.