IQ #227 Prisoner of God

It was mealtime during a flight on 316. “Would you like dinner?” the flight attendant asked pastor J. “What are my choices?” asked pastor J. “Yes or no.” she replied.

Hello IQ readers. After what seems like years (and it has been), I have been asked to write more INNER QUESTS. From time to time I had thought about writing again but it wasn’t until an unexpected message came my way asking why I wasn’t still writing.

Why not, it has been some time and I would like to see where my journey with God has taken me and how I could best share that with you.

For the past month a group of teenagers and several adults have been meeting weekly discussing the book of Ephesians in preparation for a mission’s trip to a repressed area of southern Kentucky. A few weeks ago some of those teens and adults went on this mission’s trip and met up with around 450 youth and adults from many other churches and states. The theme for the week was “The PURSUIT” (God pursues us and we are to pursue Him) and Paul’s letter to the Ephesians was the Biblical focus on our time there.

In reading Paul’s letter the verse that captivated my attention was Chapter 4 verse 1, “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”

Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, as was the case for several other letters, but he never considered himself a prisoner of Rome. Ever since his eye cleansing conversion and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior during his walk to Damascus, Paul’s life, his complete life, physical, mental, verbal and spiritual was given to God to do His work and spread the Gospel of the risen Lord. Paul’s life was no longer part of this world and its sinful nature; He was now in God’s world. Paul knew, by staying in his former life would lead to death, but giving his life to God sentenced Paul to everlasting life.

God called Paul to spread His Word to all he could reach, urging them to live a life worthy of the calling God had given them. Paul’s mission was constantly being tested by those who wanted him stopped. He was beaten, starved, imprisoned, lied to, spit at, stoned, and by whatever means the authorities could muster up. The authorities did not want to lose control over their people to Paul’s God. But Paul had a spiritual strength they could not break; he had the Armor of God. Read: Ephesians 6:10-18

Paul concludes his letter with a request: 6:19-20 "Pray also for me that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly as I should.”

Accepting Christ into your heart and giving your life to Him is the greatest thing you can do, but it comes with a price, and it will bring out Satan's most conniving ways to deceive you and bring you down. Are you prepared to serve your life sentence?

What chains are you wearing? Is there a Paul in your life that is urging you to live your life worthy of the calling you have received?

                                                                                                               John 7:21