Ephesians 1:1 – “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:”
Paul was a faithful apostle of Christ even though He did not know Jesus in real life as the disciples had. He had such a close relationship with God that he ended up penning a lot of books in the New Testament. One interesting thing we can note is the way Paul introduces himself in most of his letters to the New Testament churches. He starts his letters with these words, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God…”
Paul knew His identity in Christ; He had no doubt about it. He may have persecuted Christians in the past, but a personal encounter with Jesus turned his life around. He did not let the wrongdoings of his past hinder the work He was doing for Christ. Sometimes, we allow our past mistakes to interfere with our current lives. May we, like Paul, learn to put the past behind us, remember who we are in Christ and do the good work God has called us to do.
Paul’s words, “by the will of God”, reminds us that we are where we are by the will of God. You may be a student, employee, spouse, parent, businessperson… Remember that you are who you are by the will of God. It is God who placed you where you are for a reason. Accept God’s will in your life, find out what purpose He has for you, and seek to fulfill it for His glory.
