To place in proper order… Paul wasn’t teaching that women were inferior to men, quite the opposite. In an age when women were downgraded and looked upon as mere property – Paul declared that in Christ there was no distinction in status between men and women (Gal. 3:28). He had even called the married couple, Priscilla and Aquila, by the same word…synergous – which meant “fellow workers.” God is a God of order, and by freely placing ourselves in submission in an orderly fashion under our husbands, we allow the blessings of the Lord to flow.
Tag: The Apostle Paul
Acts 28:31 ” Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul was under house arrest in Rome and confined for 2 years in a little house under constant guard by the Roman soldiers. He could have had quite a pity party…but he instead chose to use his situation for good. Yes, he was confined in one spot…but his spirit was free, for the Kingdom of God was within his heart. He could have been intimidated by the soldiers, but he chose not to have restrictions and limitations placed on God’s Word that he preached. Paul’s fearless teaching to all who wandered into that house…including the soldiers listening, was a way of him saying, “What can man do to me? My physical body may be incarcerated, but my soul is free.”
Psalm 145:3 ” Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”
Paul’s letter to the Romans tried to explain our incomprehension of God’s greatness when he said, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33) As humans, we cannot start to understand or ever figure out just how wonders and miracles happen…for the Lord’s power is truly unfathomable.
II Timothy 1:5 ” I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.”
Paul was a “spiritual” father to Timothy, but it was at his mother’s knee as a toddler he truly learned about Jesus. (II Timothy 3:15) It was the consistent teaching of both his grandmother and mother that established Timothy’s firm and confident belief in Jesus Christ and His Gospel…which gives all Christian women hope for their children regardless of the family dynamics.
Acts 20: 23-24 ” I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
We all have the same goal as Paul…to complete the calling God has charged us with. Whether that be small or large, in the public eye or in the background – everyone has a ministry to fulfill. And even when forewarned by the Holy Spirit of what was to come, Paul resolutely set his eyes on Jerusalem and the finish line…knowing he had accomplished everything the Lord had mandated for him.
Proverbs 21: 23 ” He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.”
You may know someone…it might even be yourself that’s developed this fateful disease know as Foot in Mouth. Some people are so affected, that the only time their foot comes out of their mouth – is to change socks! It takes wisdom and discipline not to just blurt out anything that comes to mind. It takes us thinking before we speak…is this appropriate?…is this kind?…will I regret saying this tomorrow? So much trouble and misery could be avoided if we’d just learn to think before we opened our mouth.
Romans 11: 33-36 Doxology
” Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable His judgments, and His paths beyond tracing out!
Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?
Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.
To Him be the glory forever! Amen. “
Acts 16:30 ” He brought them out and asked, ‘ Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ “
Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison, and were holding a prayer and hymn fest for their fellow prisoners. When suddenly, a violent earthquake shook the doors open and broke off everyone’s chains. The Jailor came running in, fearing all had escaped, when Paul shouted, ” We’re all here!” There was then an abrupt role reversal as the Jailor then addressed Paul and Silas with respect and urgency as he asked how he might receive this salvation they had spoken of.
II Corinthians 12:7 ” To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh…”
Many think that Paul’s affliction was some kind of chronic skin disease such as psoriasis, which causes unsightly red scaly patches of irritated flesh. Regardless of the cause for his torment and annoyance, Paul went on to say that he had begged the Lord three times to take it away, but each time the Lord had replied, ” My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” ( II Corinthians 12: 8-9) Paul’s fulfilled destiny didn’t rest in himself, but in what God did through him…and it really didn’t matter what the “outside” of the temple looked like, for it was the inside that God was concerned with.
Hebrews 13:5 ” Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have.”
Why can’t we just be happy and more importantly – thankful for what we have? We are ever looking for the next best thing…the new and improved model…always wanting to add to our collection of whatever…but never content with what we have. Paul summed it up best when he wrote to the Philippians in Chapter 4, verse 11 – “For I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Paul understood that contentment started from within, and no amount of money or stuff could ever give him that kind of peace or happiness.
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