Paul's History Reminds Us that God Prepares Us for What He Calls us to Do

"But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; ¹⁶ I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.” - Acts 9:15-16Paul was given a monumental task by the Lord that was two fold - to suffer for the Gospel and to share the Gospel with the Gentiles. That is like telling someone to spread a message to 99% of the world. Tough job.When Paul was commissioned to that task it fit perfectly with his journey that had brought him to this exact point. First, Paul was well in tune with scripture. He was a Pharisee who was trained by an expert teacher in Jerusalem, advanced beyond his peers (Gal 1:14). Second, he was from Tarsus which was a philosophical center in his day. So Paul knew Judaism. Paul also undoubtedly knew Greek philosophy as his use of Greek rhetoric and his knowledge of Gentile authors (as seen in Acts 17) prove.God had been preparing Paul for this moment and this mission his entire life.The questions for us are as follows: What has God been preparing you to do for the kingdom? What does your past say about your future? What things have you been through, skills you possess that can be an asset to the church and the kingdom?God doesn't send us to do anything he won't prepare and empower us to do for Him.