PODCAST

Enduring Service

November 5th, 2022

Acts 20:19-28

Have you ever served the Lord through severe testing with tears and humility? This is the triumph of faithfulness. As Paul looks back over his life, he recounts his aim of following Jesus in service to God’s mission, obeying the leading of the Spirit. The Spirit guided him, like so many of us, into the gaps between the way things are and the way they are supposed to be. He was led to minister in the midst of great difficulty, fierce opposition, and severe personal cost. He keeps going even as imprisonment and death threats persist.

Paul’s life is a sign of mature and deep faith. He has followed Jesus in the way of the cross. He is confident he will continue to be ultimately sustained by God’s presence and promises.

Having given his life to God and having died to self, we also hear glimpses of the very life of God given back to Paul. This is what the fullness of discipleship looks like. Paul is an example for us, though similar faithfulness will take its own shape in our unique lives.

Author: Christa Klosterman