Super Apostle!

Paul. What words come to mind? Inspiring. Great. Holy. Incredible. Dedicated. God focused.

Whenever I think about Paul, I get this feeling of... man what an incredible story? It's as if I'm reading a book about a super hero. Their stories of success and courage, boldness and excitement. Was Paul tall dark and handsom? Did he have veins popping out of his forarms? Was he one of those people that's really good at winking at you in a cool non creapy way.

I feel like when I read about Paul, I read a story that is cool, but unattainable. I strive to be that way, but does that mean I'll actually ever get there? Nah.... It's a cool idea to think I want to live a life for Jesus the way Paul did. To live with his passion and power. It's like he's a super apostle. He's got it all figured out.

Then I read about his final few days on earth. It talks about beatings. It talks about grieving. It talks about prophesized death. It seems a bit sad and lonely. He even gets back to Jerusalem, and they tell him he did something wrong! Really? Paul just got back from an incredible campaign. He was spreading Christ to the ends of the earth. He'd endured jail and persecution all for the sake of Jesus Christ. So he gets back, and they tell him something he did wrong! Not only that he did something wrong, but that he should go through a cleansing process, which included shaving his head, to be cleaned again. I read this part of Paul's story and he seems... well... normal. Actually, he seems weak. It seems like a story I don't want anymore. It's filled with pain and persecution.

Yet Paul does some incredible things. He submits. Submit, the act of giving yourself up to someting else selflessly(that's my informal non-smart sounding definition). He submits to the cleansing process. He submits to being beat by people. He submits to being arrested. I think he knows deep down inside its out about making the way as clear and easy as possible. Sure going through that cleansing process may have not been what he wanted to do, but he did it so others might believe in Christ. He went into the town of Jerusalem knowing he would die. Yet he didn't back down from telling others about Christ.

So what's it take to be the super apostle of Jesus Christ that Paul was?

Submission. Total and udder submission to Jesus Christ no matter the cost, no matter the frustration.

Ephesians 5:21 "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Job 22:21 "Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you"