Before Paul was the apostle Paul, he enjoyed a life of status and respect. A rising star as a Pharisee leader, a man of power; he had it all by worldly standards. But once he had an encounter with the resurrected Jesus, on the road to Damascus, blinding him, his life was forever changed. He left the prestige of the world for a life that had eternal value. The praise of man was exchanged for scorn and imprisonment. The respect he once enjoyed was replaced with mockery and disdain.
What was it that made him leave it all behind? The love of God. It transforms a person from a self-seeking, self-glorifying being, into a humbled, thankful, forgiven saint. “Old things are passed away and ALL things are become new.”
Paul wrote that, while sharing the gospel of Christ, (that others would be able to experience the love and forgiveness of Christ, as he did), “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and day in the open sea. I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, from bandits, from my fellow Jews, from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false believers. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and gone without food. I have shivered in the cold without enough clothing to keep me warm (2 Corinthians 11:25-27).
But through it all he declares that “To live is Christ and to die is gain.” Why? Because Jesus told him that He would “Show him how much He must suffer for His name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). Paul saw the whole picture. He saw the fleeting vanity of this life in comparison to eternity. He saw that Heaven awaits with all the comforts and joys we long for here. He knew his battle scars were badges of honor and would one day be exchanged for a crown.
May we also grasp the big picture. This life is temporary and fleeting, but what is done for Christ has eternal value.
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