Today’s Devotional: You Are On God’s Team
Humans want to belong; we yearn to be considered a valuable part of something bigger than ourselves. We go to great lengths to find acceptance—sometimes even changing who we are in order to fit in. And even when we’ve been accepted, we still nurse doubts about whether others really want us around. Might they just be tolerating us?
This devotional from Lifetime Guarantee Ministries talks about how Paul—the self-proclaimed worst of sinners—was chosen for Christ’s team. Because of the forgiveness offered to him and everyone in Christ, he found acceptance in a community that once feared him:
Being a member of a winning football team can become so important that anything it takes, ignoring my family, cutting back on my scholastic achievements, getting up early and staying up late building my body through blood, sweat, and tears, that’s okay. I want so desperately to be a part of the team!
Then there’s Paul. Paul knew who he was in Christ; he knew he was totally forgiven; he knew that he was now a righteous, holy, blameless person, all of those beautiful things bestowed on all of us as Believers, but he could never quite get over the incredible fact that God had allowed him to become a part of “His team.” Not that being a part of His team guaranteed status, comfort, plenty, or safety. It was important to Paul because he admired the Master so much and wanted to have his name on the list of apostles.
Because of his violent persecution of the Believers, Paul felt unworthy in his position as an apostle and apparently felt the necessity to defend his position.
For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God (1 Corinthians 15:9). […]
Paul’s dream came true . . . to be on God’s team and his final words tell us that he accomplished his dream: The glorious fight God gave me, I have fought. The course I was set I have finished, and I have kept the faith (II Timothy 4:7 PHILLIPS).
We’re on His team. He has chosen us. How wonderful! How incredible! And He has assigned us as His apostles to do certain things. Do we consider this awesome tribute the way Paul did?
Read the rest of the devotional at lifetime.org.
Do you consider yourself part of God’s team?
Very good writing and the sports analogy is so very apt. Let us balance that analogy just a bit by viewing the scenario of strict dieting, up early and off to the spa, beauty parlor appointments kept under all kinds of extremes and even the manicures and acrylic overlays. We each and every set personal goals that serve us and a societal beckoning. Oh but to have that same dedication as PAUL in pursuing the goal of an APOSTLE.
He died for Me! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! What a Savior! Hallelujah! Amen! Hallelujah! What a Savior! Revive us! Revive us! Revive us, again!
Iam thankful every day that ican wake up and give God thanks.he died for our sins,that we may have everlasting life. that is something i will never take for granted.i have decied to seek his face like never before,and to spread the GOODNEWS to all my sisters and brothers.So i would like to say,no matter what you may be going through dont give up, hand it over to GOD.HE will never disappiont you. GOD BLESS,
I have been struggling with the same feelings of not being worthy. I have struggled to fit in my whole life and even among my brothers and sisters in Christ I sometimes feel uncomfortable.