Romans 1:13-17

God called and appointed Paul, telling him that He was sending him to the Gentiles—a commission Paul took seriously. Here we see that Paul carried a burden to reach both the civilized and uncivilized world, the educated and uneducated alike. He even expressed at one point that he was willing to become all things to all people that he might win more for Christ.

When you are called by God for a specific work, there is a passion that burns within your soul. You can’t get away from it. The prophet Jeremiah described it this way:

“But if I say I’ll never mention the LORD or speak in his name, his word burns in my heart like a fire. It’s like a fire in my bones! I am worn out trying to hold it in! I can’t do it!”
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭20‬:‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

I’m not sure I would have wanted Jeremiah’s calling. God sent him to speak His words to a stiff-necked people who wouldn’t listen—but God sent him anyway. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet,” and when you consider the commission God gave him, you can understand why:

“I will pronounce judgment on my people for all their evil— for deserting me and burning incense to other gods. Yes, they worship idols made with their own hands! “Get up and prepare for action. Go out and tell them everything I tell you to say. Do not be afraid of them, or I will make you look foolish in front of them. For see, today I have made you strong like a fortified city that cannot be captured, like an iron pillar or a bronze wall. You will stand against the whole land— the kings, officials, priests, and people of Judah. They will fight you, but they will fail. For I am with you, and I will take care of you. I, the LORD, have spoken!””
‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭1‬:‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬)

That was a tough calling, but as we have just read in Acts, Paul didn’t have it much easier. Yet Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel. He did not shrink back from his commission, for he knew that the Good News revealed the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.

Central to Paul’s teaching was this truth: salvation was accomplished from start to finish by faith. As Paul states, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” No doubt, this was a tough sell to those who had spent their lives relying upon the Law for righteousness. Yet God had specifically called Paul to take this message of salvation by faith to the Gentiles.

Much like Jesus, many of Paul’s troubles initially came from his own people—especially from the religious order of which he had been a part for so many years. Yet now God had sent him to the Gentiles, and in this case, Paul was longing to see the same kind of spiritual fruit among the Gentile believers in Rome that he had seen in so many other places.

There is something powerful about a person who knows he has been called and sent by God. Opposition may make the road difficult, but it does not change the assignment. Like Jeremiah and Paul, when God’s Word and purpose burn within us, faithfulness means continuing to speak, serve, and go wherever He sends us.