Paul began a number of his letters in this way: “Paul, a servant of Christ” (Romans 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1). Paul was a self-proclaimed servant. The fact that he proclaimed himself as a servant at the beginning of some of his epistles is significant. In the United States, when we meet someone, usually among the first questions asked is “what do you do for a living?” As Americans, our occupations are usually among our most valued attributes. For Paul, among his most valued attributes was his status as a servant of Christ.
Paul was not always a servant of Christ. He believed himself to have always been God’s servant. When Christianity began to grow in popularity, Paul thought Christianity was just another man-made religious heresy, and so, as a Jew, he sought to stomp out Christianity at the outset. In writing to Timothy, Paul said “I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief” (1 Timothy 1:13). Paul’s obtainment of mercy came as he still breathed threats and murders against the early Christians (Acts 9:1). When Jesus Himself appeared to Paul, Paul took a complete 180º turn spiritually, becoming a zealous servant for the cause of Christ.
In his tenure as a Christian, Paul traveled over 10,000 miles by land and sea. The vast majority of these miles were tread during his three missionary journeys and later his imprisoned transfer to the capital of Rome. In describing his countless journeys, Paul wrote, “From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep [he was stranded at sea-CF]; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness” (2 Corinthians 11:24-27). Paul was a human pendulum, swinging from murderous heretic to righteous servant.
Paul is our example (1 Corinthians 11:1). He shows us, through his life, that no matter what our past, we can change and do great things for God. No matter our spiritual stature now, we can all stand tall as servants of God.
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