God reached into a part of Paul’s background that had been formed before he became a Christian, and He found some very useful things there. And they weren’t all spiritual things. They were also academic and cultural. Even though Paul seemed unqualified because of his monumental hatred for Christians at one time, his background actually qualified him in a unique way. As a former Pharisee, he understood the Scriptures and the mindset of the people who would oppose him. And his old spiritual blindness gave him compassion for those who were lost. God used both the good and the bad experiences in Paul’s life. And He can do the same for us too! When God looked for a man to be an early leader in His church, to write down the theology of His church, to debate religious leaders who argued against His church, to advance the cause of Christ in academic and social arenas, to carry the message all the way from the lowest person on the street to the throne of Caesar, God found a man who already had the necessary qualifications – and that man was Paul. He’s an example of how God works. First God seeks you out, then He prepares you, then He positions you, then He empowers you to do what He knows you can do most effectively. And God’s calling is the only thing that’ll make us completely happy (although we don’t always know that in advance). So, is God calling you? Is He preparing you? Is He positioning you? Is He empowering you? Our highest level of joy and fulfilment will come when we let His will be ours and say yes to Him.
