God Smiles

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God—  the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David,  and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.  Through him and for his name’s sake, we received grace and apostleship to call people from among all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.  And you also are among those who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:1–6)

Most of us are aware of the fact that the book of Romans is a letter, a letter to and a letter from: to the Church in Rome, and from Paul, an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. 

Paul was set apart. Long before he new it, God had a plan for Paul -- a plan that would have seemed inconceivable even foolish. 

God's plan: To move the Church beyond the known, safe and expected boundaries to the world for whom Jesus came, lived, died and was resurrected. 

God's means: To use the words and presence of this man Paul, a man who hated Jesus and sought to crush and destroy his Church before it could spread. 

I think sometimes God smiles when he makes his plans and invites us to join him. "Oh, this is going to be great!" God plans and he invites, not based upon what is apparent now, but upon what will be. God does not call based on our ability, but based on his glory. God calls each of us, and there is not one of us that can say God cannot use me. 

~ Noah was a drunk

~ Abraham was too old

~ Isaac was a daydreamer

~ Jacob was a liar

~ Leah was ugly

~ Joseph was abused

~ Moses had a stuttering problem

~ Gideon was afraid

~ Samson had long hair and was a womanizer

~ Rahab was a prostitute

~ Jeremiah and Timothy were too young

~ David was an adulterer and a murderer

~ Elijah was suicidal

~ Isaiah preached naked

~ Jonah ran from God

~ Naomi was a widow

~ Job went bankrupt

~ John the Baptist ate bugs

~ Peter denied Christ

~ The disciples fell asleep while praying

~ Martha worried about everything

~ The Samaritan woman was divorced (more than once)

~ Zaccheus was too small

~ Timothy had an ulcer

~ Lazarus was dead

And,  Paul was a murderous hater of Jesus. I imagine that made God chuckle. And, I imagine it filled his heart with Joy, to think that this man who was so crippled by hate could be freed through grace, to love and proclaim as savior the same Jesus whom he had been unable to truly see. God is a God of love. His love is played out in a myriad of ways. His work for our transformation, redemption, restoration and reconciliation flows from that love, and from that love he creates in us a heart that seeks transformation, redemption, restoration and reconciliation in the world: transformed transformers. 

The fact that God choose to use Paul of all people gives hope to each one of us as God choose to use us.

How do those words hit you? Do you believe them to be true? Do you believe them to be true for others, but for you maybe not? How does the reality of Paul's amazing transformation effect the reality of your life? What is God inviting you into? Can you see his smile?

Give these questions some thought. Let the reality of God's promises, his grace and his power seep into you and through you. 

Peace, hope and love