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There are some people and some denominations that believe God only comes to us dramatically, as he did to Paul. They aren't sure we are really saved unless we can point to a day and hour when the Lord came to us! Jesus certainly had to stop Paul from heading in the direction he was going! Of course, it is possible for God to come to us in such a spectacular way. Sometimes that is the only way he can get our attention! He came to me in a moment of enlightenment, though not as dramatic as Paul's experience. Some of my fundamentalist friends have accepted me when I told them about my experience. In my ministry I have rarely seen two people with the same experience of God's presence in their lives. Some have had a warm feeling, as though God has always been present in their life. I could never write a book about how we can come to God! I like to think that that first moment of God coming to me arrived at my baptism. What happened later was the result of my faithfulness to that first sacrament. I like to look at the way a person lives his life -- do I feel the love of God when I see him? Do I feel God's presence in his or her life? That is the best test. It is true that we may have a moment when God's presence became real to us, and we might want to share it, but don't tell others that your experience is the standard for all Christians.
One hint that Jesus has come into our life is if he sends us on an assignment for him, as he did for Paul. It is true that the assignment may not be to become a missionary to all the world. No one would be in our church here if that were the case. God gives us each a purpose for our life, even if it is only to be an example to our family and friends or to give generously to the church offering. Some may be given the gift of making much money. As the Bible tells us, we are blessed to be a blessing. Some are given great wealth so they can share with others who have little. Someone asked me how much I earned as a pastor. I told him that I earned about $500,000 a year. That shocked him and he said that he didn't realize pastor salaries were that high. I told him that he had asked how much did I earn and not how much did I receive as a salary. I pointed out that I worked at least as hard as some multimillionaires, but what I took home did not relate to how many hard hours I put in. I did mention that my work was in directing people to an eternal hope and not just how to raise a few bucks down here. How often what we take home bears little relationship to what we do in our job or career.
Paul spent the rest of his life serving his Lord. He even took a job on the side making tents so he wouldn't have to beg for a salary -- which he certainly earned! We don't have to go into all the world (unless that is where God calls us!) to serve our Lord. Most Christians perform one of the other many functions that the Lord has given us. Some of them are listed in the epistles, such as preaching and teaching and so forth.
Paul had to go through some painful moments while the Lord prepared him. Pastors have to endure four years of undergraduate work and then years and years of seminary as a starter! We should all prepare ourselves to serve the Lord for whatever he has planned for us. It started with Paul's baptism, and then the Holy Spirit led him. He will lead all of us too.
One hint that Jesus has come into our life is if he sends us on an assignment for him, as he did for Paul. It is true that the assignment may not be to become a missionary to all the world. No one would be in our church here if that were the case. God gives us each a purpose for our life, even if it is only to be an example to our family and friends or to give generously to the church offering. Some may be given the gift of making much money. As the Bible tells us, we are blessed to be a blessing. Some are given great wealth so they can share with others who have little. Someone asked me how much I earned as a pastor. I told him that I earned about $500,000 a year. That shocked him and he said that he didn't realize pastor salaries were that high. I told him that he had asked how much did I earn and not how much did I receive as a salary. I pointed out that I worked at least as hard as some multimillionaires, but what I took home did not relate to how many hard hours I put in. I did mention that my work was in directing people to an eternal hope and not just how to raise a few bucks down here. How often what we take home bears little relationship to what we do in our job or career.
Paul spent the rest of his life serving his Lord. He even took a job on the side making tents so he wouldn't have to beg for a salary -- which he certainly earned! We don't have to go into all the world (unless that is where God calls us!) to serve our Lord. Most Christians perform one of the other many functions that the Lord has given us. Some of them are listed in the epistles, such as preaching and teaching and so forth.
Paul had to go through some painful moments while the Lord prepared him. Pastors have to endure four years of undergraduate work and then years and years of seminary as a starter! We should all prepare ourselves to serve the Lord for whatever he has planned for us. It started with Paul's baptism, and then the Holy Spirit led him. He will lead all of us too.
