Who Is Your Paul?

Who Is Your Paul?

I was driving to a meeting a couple of months ago and I heard a sermon on the radio by Chip Ingram (www.lote.org - Life On The Edge) that really made me think. It was actually a teaching series, and I caught in on the day I needed to hear it (funny how God does that). His topic was “Who Is Your Paul?”.

He went on to talk about Paul and his conversion experience, and the passion with which Paul served Christ - no compromise, and no matter what his circumstances, he was content. Then he asked, “Who is your Paul”? Who is that person that is your spiritual mentor, the one you go to when you need guidance and instruction, no matter how hard it is to hear what they have to say. Who in your life serves Christ with the passion of Paul, and who is content wherever they might be in life. Who is my Paul? One person came to mind, and even though she is about 200 miles away from me, she remains my Paul, my mentor (even though I don‘t think I‘ve ever told her that), and my friend. And the coolest thing about it is that I have watched her grow in the 16 years I have known her, and she stands before me today a stronger person, even though I didn‘t think she could get any stronger. I have watched her and her family deal with illness and financial struggles, and they have remained faithful to God and He has blessed them through it all - He has given her a ministry now that He has prepared her for over many years and in ways she didn’t even realize. I don’t think that she even realizes how many lives she has touched. She took me into her home and into her heart when I didn’t even know I needed her…and now she remains in my heart and I know God has used her to teach me how to not only love others, but most importantly, to love God and not be afraid of Him, but to be willing to lay my heart out before Him in complete honesty and receive His mercy, grace and forgiveness. Now I see other young women come to her and seek her guidance and her knowledge, and I know she will continue to point them to the face of God.

He went on after that to ask another question: “Who is your Barnabas (your encourager)?”. Well, that one popped in my mind immediately as well. This is a person that no matter what is going on with her, she always encourages me. Although she also has many Paul tendencies and uses them when necessary, she always points me to the bright side of things, especially when I don’t think there is a bright side. This is also someone who has had many struggles, and remains honest about who she is. And I have never seen her that she didn’t have a smile on her face, and I have never talked to her in person or on the phone that she has not laughed. When I see her sing, her face shines with the light of the Father. She enjoys life to the fullest, and I can learn a lot from that. I like people with a heartfelt laugh and an open spirit…and when I need encouragement, she is my Barnabas.

There was a third question - “Who is your Timothy?”. Timothy came to Paul to be instructed…so who has God placed in my life to be my Timothy? That one hurt a little bit, because although I realized in a second who it was, I wanted to run as far and as fast as I could away from them. Why? Because they remind me a lot of me…some of the struggles I have had and things I haven’t been ready to share with someone new. But you know what? I know God can use my experiences to help this person…because I have been where they are and I can show them how powerful our God is. So I’m open now to that challenge…

But I’m gonna need my Paul to instruct me and my Barnabas to encourage me!

And I’m gonna need to continually seek God’s face through prayer and study of His Word.

I give these examples to challenge you to think about who these people are in your life…and most importantly, to really think about who your Timothy is…they are watching you even if you want to run away…so stand strong in your faith, take them to the Word of God, and most importantly, continue to point them to the face of God.