Paul, a God-called Apostle of Jesus

Today I'd like to begin with a statement that may sound strange.
Many Christians are more interested in discovering God's plan for their lives than in knowing God Himself.
We pray: "Lord, what is my calling?" "Lord, what do You want me to do?" "Lord, show me my purpose."
But suppose Jesus answered...
"Before I show you what I want you to do, I want you to know Me."
Could it be that we have made calling more important than Christ?
Paul hadn't.

That's interesting because today's lesson asks, "What is your calling?"
Is that the right question?

Perhaps not—not at first.
Notice how Paul introduces himself: "Paul, called to be an apostle..."
But here's something the lesson doesn't explore deeply.
Paul's apostleship was unique. He saw the risen Christ. He was personally commissioned. He became part of the foundation of the New Testament church.

Should we automatically assume that every Christian has a calling exactly like Paul's?
Or are we reading ourselves into a story that belongs uniquely to him?

I've often wondered about that. People keep telling me, "You have a calling."
But I don't know what mine is. Sometimes I worry that maybe I'm missing God's will.

I'm glad you said that. Many sincere Christians live with unnecessary anxiety because they think God has hidden one perfect assignment that they must somehow discover.
Yet the New Testament spends far more time telling believers to be faithful, holy, loving, forgiving and obedient than it does telling them to search for a mysterious life mission.
Perhaps God reveals tomorrow's assignment while we're faithful in today's obedience.

That actually describes me. I spent years waiting for "my ministry."
Meanwhile I neglected the ordinary opportunities God kept putting in front of me.

Exactly. Sometimes we're so busy asking, "What is my calling?" that we forget to ask,
"What kind of person is God calling me to become?"
God is always more interested in our character than our résumé.
Is it possible to become so occupied with finding God's purpose that we neglect walking with God Himself?

Then why does Paul mention his apostleship so often? Wasn't he emphasizing his position?

*Good observation. But remember the setting. Paul wasn't introducing himself to impress people. His authority was under attack. He wasn't saying, "Look how important I am."
He was saying, "I didn't appoint myself. Christ sent me."
                                                                                        There's another lesson here.Today many people simply announce, "God called me."
 But Paul didn't expect people to accept his claim merely because he said it.
His life... his sacrifice... his suffering... his faithfulness...became evidence that Christ truly had called him.
A genuine calling leaves evidence.

That's an important point.
I've seen people use "God told me" almost as a shield against correction.

Yes.
A genuine calling never places a believer above accountability.
It produces humility, not superiority.

Should a calling only be something I believe about myself, or should faithful Christians also recognize it in my life?

Then maybe I don't need to worry so much about discovering some spectacular mission.
Maybe I just need to keep following Jesus.

Exactly.
Here's something else the lesson hints at.
Paul refers to Jesus repeatedly in only a few verses.
That's remarkable.
He couldn't stop talking about Christ. Notice something beautiful.
Paul wasn't obsessed with ministry. He was obsessed with Jesus.
There's a difference.
Some people use Jesus to build a ministry. Paul used his ministry to reveal Jesus.

So maybe we've reversed the order.
We've made ministry the destination instead of Christ.

I think that's one of the greatest dangers facing the church.
We ask, "What am I supposed to do?" when perhaps Christ is asking,
"Will you simply walk with Me?"
Before Paul had a mission… he had a Master.
Before he became an apostle...he became a surrendered man.
Before he was sent… he belonged.

Perhaps today's lesson isn't really about apostleship. Perhaps it's about identity.
Paul's greatest achievement wasn't becoming an apostle. His greatest testimony was this: "I belong to Jesus."
Everything else flowed from that.

Maybe the first calling every believer must answer is not, "What should I do?"
But, "To whom do I belong?"
Because until that question is settled, every other calling will eventually lose its way.