APPOINTED

APPOINTED. 2nd Timothy 1:11 Paul was a steward, a designated person responsible for preaching the Gospel. Publicly declaring the Gospel means passing on an official message from a higher authority with the dignity it deserves because of the Source. The integrity of the message of salvation cannot be altered to suit the wishes of those who hear it. An apostle had official duties, including having seen or been with the Lord Jesus Christ after His resurrection. Paul was well-suited intellectually and educationally to be the apostle to the Gentiles. God knows His people and uses them in the ways and places He knows are best. Therefore, we may face challenges that require us to endure hardships and remain unashamed of the testimony of the Lord or His servants. The apostle's responsibility as someone God saved was similar to ours today. Because of this, Paul looked beyond prison walls to recognize that a sovereign God had brought him to his current circumstances, place, and time. There is nothing shameful about that. Suffering often accompanies what is good. Reproach and suffering go hand in hand with blessing and victory. We are not only meant to pass on words, but we have been called to "be holy, for I am (God) holy." The transformation in a believer does not happen by our own resolve but by God, who, in grace, has a reason to save us. This plan was designed in the past, "before the world began," and in the present, it has been "now made manifest," and in the future, "that day" will be visible to the universe. That reason has been made clear to us now because our Savior, Jesus Christ, has come and given eternal life to those who believe in Him.