(Read Acts 18:1-6)
This morning we continue our series “Grace that is Simply Amazing.” After his encounter with the high council in Athens, Paul traveled about 80km west to the city of Corinth. There he became acquainted with a Jew named Aquila who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife, Priscilla. Aquila and Priscilla were forced out of Rome when Claudius Caesar chose to deport all the Jews from the city. They were tentmakers, as he was, Paul connected with the couple immediately, and he began to live with them.
Paul traveled to the synagogue every Sabbath to attempt to convince Jews that the Messiah had already come and that His name was Jesus. Once Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul spent all his time preaching the Word to the Jews. However, as was often the case, the Jews opposed and insulted Paul. Paul had been trying to reach the Jews for years, even though his true calling was to the Gentiles. Paul’s insistence to minister to the Jews had left him beaten, bruised, battered, and imprisoned. But something happened in Corinth. It was as if the proverbial “light” came on for Paul. In the middle of a heated discussion with the Jews Paul shook the dust from his clothes and said, “Your blood is upon your own heads—I am innocent. From now on I will go preach to the Gentiles.”
Back in Acts 13, while Paul was still with Barnabas in Antioch, the Holy Spirit led Paul to say, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles. For the Lord gave us this command when he said, ‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’” Paul’s assignment was to the Gentiles and he therefore had the Grace of God on his life to reach non-Jews. Peter had the Grace to reach the Jews. Could Paul reach “some” Jews? Of course. But Paul was going to continue to be frustrated attempting to do something he was not truly called to do.
So what does this mean to you today? A few things:
1. God designed your purpose before the foundations of the world. Your divine purpose cannot be developed, because God already developed it. Your divine purpose must be discovered. When you discover your purpose your life will have true meaning and you will enjoy a level of clarity that cannot be realized without God.
2. You have Grace to fulfill your purpose. You were made to fulfill your purpose. Like a hammer that was designed to drive in nails, you were designed to fulfill a specific purpose in the earth. If you attempt to use the hammer as a screwdriver, you might damage the hammer, the screw, and everything you attempt to use it on. But when you use the hammer for what it was created to do, it becomes useful. Likewise, you have the Grace of God on your life to fulfill your purpose. If you spend your life trying to do something else, it will be painful for you and possibly dangerous for all who come in contact with you.
3. Frustration sets in when you make a demand on God for something that is not yours to have. Paul spent week after week attempting to get Jews to accept Jesus as the Messiah. While he had some success, his efforts led to a great deal of frustration, because he was not called to the Jews. Once Paul shifted his focus to the Gentiles, he still faced opposition, but the Grace of God was freely flowing through him to do what God called him to do. You too will live your life in frustration if you attempt to force God to bless something He did not call you to do.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for helping me to understand that I was born for a reason and a purpose. I cannot come up with my purpose because I did not make myself. You made me, You know everything about me, and You designed me to fulfill Your purpose for my life. By faith I declare that I shall find, follow and finish my purpose in life before I die. Once I find my purpose, I shift my focus to fulfilling it. I have spent years chasing things that were not mine to have. I will no longer do that. I will now chase only after You and Your divine purpose for my life. As I pursue my purpose I know Your Grace will be on me to experience divine success. That does not mean I will not face challenges, but it does mean that I will have the Grace to overcome every challenge and I will have internal peace the entire time. Thank You Father for helping me to focus my efforts, for clarity of vision and purpose, and for giving me the Grace to do what I am called to do. I will no longer be jealous of anyone. Other people have their own race with their own Grace. I am not them, they are not me, and I won’t waste time trying to be someone I am not called to be. I run my own race, with my own Grace, and by doing so I get to enjoy the life You called me to have! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
