Thought of the Day !!

This letter is from Paul, chosen by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and from our brother Sosethenes.

                                     1 Corinthians 1:1 (NLT)

On Monday when I was looking over possible texts to preach about this week I came across 1 Corinthians 1:1-9 in the lectionary readings for Sunday.  For those of you who've never heard of the lectionary, it is a set of weekly readings that can be used to guide you through the majority of the scriptures in a three year period.  Many preachers will use this to preach from.  I used to, but now typically preach sermon series.  Since my next series won't begin for a week or two, I was looking through different scriptures praying that God would share what I should preach from Sunday.

Anyway, after reading this one verse I stopped.  I felt God speaking to me as I read how Paul described himself.  He said that he was "chosen" by the will of God to be an "apostle" of Christ Jesus.  First of all, Paul was chosen by God.  What an honor it is to be chosen by God Himself.  I don't know about you, but when I think about someone being chosen, I think about how they are special for some reason. 

Was Paul the only chosen one?  Of course not.  Are we chosen as well?  Yes, we are.  But what are we chosen for?  Paul was chosen "by God's will" to be an "apostle".  This means he was to be an authority on Jesus and to share all he knew about Jesus with others.  It meant that he would act on Jesus' behalf and lead others to do the same.  He was the one whom God chose to start churches, commending people at times and rebuking at times.

As I read this, I started thinking about what God has chosen me for.  I know that He chose me to me a pastor/preacher.  But within this, has He chosen me to be more?  Am I specifically suited for planting churches, discipling others, missionary work, servant evangelism, etc.?

What about you?  You were chosen to accept Jesus.  After we come to Christ we are chosen for other purposes as well.  What might it be that you were chosen specifically for?  Maybe it's something you have been avoiding.  Maybe it's something that excites you.  Maybe your call has been right in front of you all the time, and you just haven't noticed.  I encourage you today to reread this verse and put your name in it instead of Paul's.  What might God have already chosen you to do in your life?

In the love of Christ,

greg