Faithful ‘til the end

‘Who are you, lord?’ I asked. “And the Lord replied, ‘I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now get to your feet! For I have appeared to you to appoint you as my servant and witness. You are to tell the world what you have seen and what I will show you in the future. And I will rescue you from both your own people and the Gentiles. Yes, I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’ “And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. Acts 26:15-19 From the text, Paul before King Agrippa mentioned his commissioning from God. Paul used to curtail Christians who were witnessing for the gospel until the Lord Jesus Christ confronted him at Damascus road (Acts 9:1-9). That experience changed him and had saved him from a life of emptiness and purposelessness. As the years passed by as he obeyed God’s call for him, the more he realized the will of God for his life. Before King Agrippa and other leaders, Paul told them that he was sent by God to the Gentiles “to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.’” This was a clear cut call to spread the gospel. This is also the same calling we have in our time. Paul devoted his life to God’s calling. He readily accepted and obeyed what God told him though it may mean that he will be persecuted and suffer for his faith (see 2 Corinthians 11:23-28). He did not complain for all that mattered to him was that his life be an expression of the glory and praise for God, “God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise” (2 Corinthians 11:31). He was proud before King Agrippa for he did not waiver in his call. We are also called to be persistent and bold in our devotion to God and to have our life as a witness of God’s glorious working within. It is a joy to know that we are saved because we trusted Christ as Lord and Savior. This is how our Christian life begins but we are also called to continue until the end enjoying God’s working within and expressing the joy of serving Him. It will be good if we could say with Paul, “I obeyed the vision from heaven.”

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com