You have been called and set apart for this

Good morning, everyone,

Our theme for this month: “Sound doctrine, strong faith”

Our Bible verse for today: “Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God …” Romans 1:1 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “You have been called and set apart for this”

Paul wrote that he was a servant of Jesus Christ who had been called by God to be an Apostle, and he was set apart by God for a specific task related to the gospel. If you are familiar with Paul’s story, then you know that God ended up using him as the catalyst for spreading the Christian faith throughout the Roman empire. Paul was an evangelist, preacher, teacher, missionary, church-planter, and mentor of other preachers, pastors, and leaders. God also used him to write the majority of the New Testament. That was Paul’s specific calling, and he was uniquely equipped by God for it.

But originally, he was the anthesis of that. By his own admission, Paul was a Pharisee’s Pharisee. He was more legalistic and more obsessive about keeping every jot and tittle of the laws, rules, and regulations of the Pharisees than any of the others. He was consumed with hatred for Christians, and he was obsessive about hunting them down, arresting them, overseeing their torture, and even their executions. Paul was passionate and committed to terrorizing the Christian community and wiping out the Christian faith.

But then he had an encounter with the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus and he did a complete 180. He went from being the biggest enemy of the Christian faith to being the most committed and effective proponent of the faith who has ever lived.

Now, you may be thinking that under those extraordinary circumstances it’s easy to see why Paul was so committed, passionate, and dedicated to the cause of Christ. But that was Paul, it’s not you and it’s not me, right? Well, no. Not right. Those same general truths apply to us as well.

The fact is that at some point you did have an encounter with Christ, and it did change the trajectory of your life – and of your eternity. And it’s also true that God has a great plan for your life. He has called you for a specific purpose, and He has equipped you for whatever it is He’s calling you to. The Bible offers plenty of proof for that:

Jeremiah 1:5 “I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born.” God spoke those words specifically to the prophet Jeremiah, but they are also true for you and for me and for everyone. God chose you and set you apart for His purposes.

Jeremiah 29:11-14: “For I know the plans I have for you – this is the Lord’s declaration – plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you …”

Now again, those words were spoken directly and specifically to Jeremiah, but we know they pertain to us too because they articulate a general Biblical principle that is taught in many other places in both the Old and New Testaments.

We will continue thinking about this tomorrow. For now, just know that God has called you and set you apart for His special purposes. Thank Him for that.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00 – in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

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