Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timotheus our brother, Colossians 1:1

As a young adult, the question “What are you going to be?” will be thrown at you over and over, both from other people and from yourself. When I was a kid, I really wanted to be a fireman. No, really. I even looked into it when I was finishing high school. I thought it would be cool to work a few days on, and a few days off. I liked the idea of doing something that mattered- something that helped people. Plus, it wouldn’t be hard to find a wife if you’re a fireman, right? I mean, girls LOVE that stuff, don’t they?

God had other plans for me. When I was 17, he called me to preach. I dropped my plans to go through EMT training (the first step before firefighter school) and went to Bible school instead. There were lots of people who thought it was a joke, or maybe I was just reacting emotionally to some “God experience,” but I knew what God’s will was- he wanted me to be a preacher.

For some reason, people have this great interest in what YOU are going to be. They want you to be a doctor or lawyer, or they want you to follow in the family business or trade. They really want their will in your life! Other times, it’s our OWN will that we’re following. WE want to be a doctor, a nurse, a fireman, or whatever. Maybe it’s something that interests you and you really have plans to do that for a career. Maybe you just want to make lots of money!

Paul had plans, too. He went to the best school for pharisees. He was trained as a kid to become a great lawyer. In this verse, though, we see that God had other plans. He had become what GOD wanted him to be. Not what his friends or family wanted him to be. Not what HE wanted to be. He became “an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God”. He became what GOD wanted him to be because he was submitted to God’s will more than his own will. The Lord Jesus Christ stopped him when he was in the middle of his current job and told him to change occupations. He told Paul that he had been kicking against God’s will for his life, and that it was time to change. Paul did change. He lined up with what God wanted for him, and although it wasn’t what he originally wanted to do, God’s will was best for him after all. I mean, Paul didn’t get the notoriety (in his lifetime) that he got from his old job. He didn’t get the money he used to have. But he got to live his life in God’s will, and he lived a life that pleased Jesus Christ as a result of it.

Not everyone is called to preach. Most people aren’t. If you’re trying to be a preacher when God doesn’t want you to, you’re just as wrong as the person who’s ignoring the call to preach. It’s not about looking at someone else and copying what they did, it’s about looking to Jesus Christ and asking him, with a submitted heart, what he wants you to do.

If you do that, you’ll look back on your life and be able to say:

“John, a construction worker by the will of God.” Or

“Amanda, a nurse by the will of God.” Or

“Kyle, a manager by the will of God.”

And that’s the best thing you could be. Whatever God wants you to be.