PREPARE - A Student Reading Plan Exploring Your CallSample

Paul

By all accounts, Paul had it made. He was a highly educated man, a religious leader. He went to the right schools and learned from the right teachers. Paul could have become the leading Rabbi in his day, if it wasn’t for that day on the road to Damascus.

Let’s face it, we all have things we are proud of. 

•  The points we’ve scored.
•  The grades we’ve earned.
• The awards we’ve received.
•  The family we come from.
•  The hard work we put in.

Your life has a highlight reel. When it plays in your mind, you might feel really good. But everything in that reel came from God.

That’s what Paul discovered when he met Jesus. He realized all his hard work was in the wrong direction. Instead of fighting for God he was fighting against God. 

God prepares us for ministry so we can be at our best. He wants us be confident, joyful, hard-working, and successful. He just wants us to know where the good really comes from. It’s not from us; it’s from Him.

Everything Paul accomplished, he later saw as trash. What really mattered to him was knowing Jesus and giving his all for Christ.

Being called to full-time ministry can feel really good, and it should! But don’t let that unique calling make you feel superior to anyone else. Full-time ministry takes humility because it isn’t a superior calling, just a different calling.

Questions

1.  What excites you about ministry?

2.  How do you see God using you for ministry?

3.  Where do you need to repent of pride about going into ministry?

Prayer

Jesus, please forgive me for my pride. I repent of times I try to make myself more important than others. Help make my heart like Yours. I want to be a humble servant. Make it clear to me when I make ministry all about me instead of being all about You. Amen.