The second factor that produced Paul’s approvedness was his clarity of vision, which he received from the Lord at the time of his conversion (Acts 26:16–19). Paul wasted no time. Immediately after his baptism, he began proclaiming Jesus in the synagogues (Acts 9:20). Paul’s speaking caused others to seek his death, for he was bold in declaring the clear vision committed to him.
Paul testified that as a minister of Christ, he was “in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep” (2 Cor. 11:23–25). Paul’s living testified to others that he was charged with a clear vision for which he was willing to live and die.
Adapted from Philippians: That I May Gain Christ,
by Titus Chu, page 139.
Tomorrow: “Clarity of Vision” (2)