Paul...focused

Paul....kept his eye on where he wanted to be....can we?

I was inspired by Rob’s Bible study tonight about Joseph’s focus on God, even in the midst of hard times. I really have enjoyed a focus on Paul and what he would have gone through. It is pretty easy for us to look at the “characters” in the Bible as one-dimensional, but there is so much life to them.

Imagine being with Paul during his different phases. He was Saul, by all accounts, a vile person who persecuted Christians to the fullest extent possible. This wasn’t just shutting down businesses, but was full scale attacks on people....including stoning.

Jesus still pursued Saul and on that road to Damascus, he began his journey to Paul. From that point on, Paul dedicated his life to pursuing Jesus, but also, sharing Jesus to anyone and everyone.

The thing is, Rome, nor any outlying territories, were Christian friendly. The Romans tolerated the Jews, because it was easier to control them by giving them a little freedom. They certainly would not have been fond of Christianity, especially given they believed the emperor was a god in his own right. Paul goes as far as telling us, in Romans, to keep under the governments radar, to not draw attention, so they could continue to preach the Gospel.

Eventually though, Paul made the decision to pursue taking Christ all the way to the emperor. In that moment, he knew this was a death sentence, but he found joy in this. While we go through storms our own, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus is with us through all sorts of storms. He is with us through COVID, lockdowns, loss of family, loss of jobs and on. He is also with us at the birth of our children, at our marriages, our first job, holding our grandchildren, and on. Paul knew that no matter what life brought him, He was with him. There were no doubt highs and lows for Paul, just like us. He knew that whether in the valley, or on the mountain, Jesus would stand with us....all the way to the end.

It’s a decision every Christian has to make. Do we believe what we say we believe? We shouldn’t be surprised when things don’t go great, but we also shouldn’t be surprised, when things go well. God has a plan, and the ultimate goal of that plan, is for us to share in Eternity with Him.

God bless, have a great Thanksgiving, and don’t forget to reach out to somebody who you haven’t seen in awhile.