1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Paul was left speechless and amazed by the way in which God was using him. Paul had started off wanting to destroy every Christian he could find. He was a bloodthirsty monster! He couldn’t stand Christians at all and he enjoyed killing them one by one.

But then he bumped into Jesus on the road to Damascus. And when you bump into Jesus, your (worldly) wheels come off. In that moment your whole life changes completely. I wonder what Paul’s friends had to say about it? There where they stood around the fire at weekends, maybe having a drink or two listening to Paul’s stories about how he had single-handedly killed several Christians. And suddenly he was totally different. Soft, full of peace and joy, and his story, the complete opposite. It must have been incomprehensible to them.

For Paul as well: 9It was fitting that I bring up the rear. I don’t deserve to be included in that inner circle, as you well know, having spent all those early years trying my best to stamp God’s church right out of existence. 10But because God was so gracious, so very generous, here I am. And I’m not about to let his grace go to waste. Haven’t I worked hard trying to do more than any of the others? Even then, my work didn’t amount to all that much. It was God giving me the work to do, God giving me the energy to do it. 11So whether you heard it from me or from those others, it’s all the same: We spoke God’s truth and you entrusted your lives.

Paul was left speechless by his own story. He could simply not understand how God could’ve chosen him to do His work full-time. He actually deserved to be at the back of the line. He actually deserved death, because he had killed so many people. But Paul could see the wonder of God in his life. He experienced it himself. He shouldn’t even have been in the line, but now he has become lead cheerleader.

God wants to use you just like this. It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. It doesn’t matter what you have done. It doesn’t matter what wrong roads you’ve taken, God has a plan for your life. God wants to use you. He actually wants to use you there where your road has taken you, because you are familiar with that part of the world. You know how the people talk there. You know the way they do things there. They know you. They trust you. And that is why you are the right person to work there for God.

Maybe you’re just as surprised as Paul and wonder how God can hit a clean shot with such crooked sticks like yourself and Paul. But if He could use a Christian killer so powerfully, nothing is impossible for Him. Remember: It is not from your own strength. It was not Paul’s own strength that brought him there. It was God who did everything in and through him.

I hope that one day we can all stand with Paul and look back on our lives and shake our heads in wonder at how God was able to make a difference in the world through us.

Reflection

Do you believe that God wants to use you?

Do you believe that God wants to make a difference through you there where you are?

Where do you have to start?

Prayer

Lord, You worked so wonderfully with Paul. I know that if you could do it with him, You can do it with me too. But I’m afraid. What if I don’t manage to do it? What if people laugh at me. Lord, You see my uncertainty. I am afraid. Therefore, I ask You to let your spirit work in me. I really want You to use me so that Your name can be honoured. Amen