“But when He who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb 
and called me through His grace was pleased to reveal His Son in me 
so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, 
I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.” 
~~Galatians 1:15-16~~

Not long ago, this passage really drew me in.  As usual, I started out by defining some of the main words or phrases in the Greek language.   So let’s get started and see what God has to say.

“Set apart from even from my mother’s womb” <aphorizo> to set off by boundary; figuratively, limit, exclude, appoint, set apart for a purpose

• This really spoke to me of the grace of God.  In the womb, Paul had done nothing to warrant being set apart.  It was merely by the grace of God that he was <aphorizo>.  
  

“Called me through His grace” 

• Called <kaleo> selected to assume some office.  
• Grace charis> is unmerited favor upon the ill-deserving.  It’s when God grants to sinners the pardon of their offenses, and bids them to accept eternal salvation through Christ.  

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – 
and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 
not by works, so that no one can boast.  
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus
 to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” 
~~Ephesians 2:8-10~~

We need to note that being “set apart” and “called” are both due to God’s grace.  Paul did nothing to deserve that.  

We are not saved because of the good works we do.  
We do good works because we are saved. 

As I sat in this thought of God calling us to do something for Him, I wondered why sometimes God calls us to do things that we are NOT equipped to do.  (For instance, God set apart and called this “I struggled-in-school” girl to write a blog).  

PAUSE TO PONDER why God would do that.  Perhaps it is so there is ZERO question as to who is doing the work.  It’s kinda like if a hammer took the credit for building a house, when it had merely been a tool in the hand of a master builder.   Or maybe God calls the ill-equipped to keep us dependent upon Him in the doing.  I don’t know about you, but if I think I can do something, I certainly don’t look to anyone for help.  

Ok, back to definitions…haha.  Chased a little rabbit there, but that’s where the Spirit took me so I went! haha.  So we know Paul was set apart from his mother’s womb and he was called through God’s grace.  So “set apart” and “called” for what??  

“God was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I may preach”.  God’s plan was for Paul to come to a saving knowledge (not just knowing Jesus died for the sins of the world, but understanding that Jesus died for MY sins), and then to share with others the truth of who Jesus is and the salvation He offers.  Let’s look at the next phrase.  God really brought this phrase home in a real personal way.  

“I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood.”   Paul knew God had set apart, called and revealed the truth to him, so he needed nothing from a human being to enhance his service of God.  He had the Words of God spoken directly to Him from Jesus.  This hit me, as there are so many voices out there wanting to “expound” on the Word of God.  For example, it’s fine to read what I wrote in my blog, but make sure you read the Scripture for yourself. Read what someone else says AFTER you have read the Word and heard from the Lord’s Spirit within you.  That’s what Paul was stressing here.  Paul was changed through the Words of Jesus alone.  He was called into a relationship.  As his love for Christ grew, service then happened, reflecting the working of the Spirit of God in him.  

It’s the same for us today.  We are called into a relationship.  Our love for Christ grows through daily reading of His Word and through prayer, and through being still and listening as the Spirit enlightens our understanding.  Then service will follow. 

We need to take our cue from Jesus. 
“Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,
but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many”
~~Matthew 20:28~~  

Let’s pause to consider a couple important truths about “serving” God.  

Service reveals outwardly what is happening inwardly. 

Service is unique to the individual. 
My service to God will reflect how He wired me, 
as will your service reflect how He wired you.   
Serving God won’t look the same for every person 
because every person has been distinctly 
and wonderfully formed by God.  

I think the phrase “I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood” impacted me so much is because in this season of  life in which I have found myself, being unemployed, I had been listening to people’s opinions about what I should do now.  Take your certification exam.  Get a puppy! Apply for jobs. Look on indeed.com.  Look for more commercial cleaning jobs.  I had been hearing from so many people that I was finding it hard to block out all the chatter and hear clearly from God.  There’s no doubt in my mind that this God-prescribed “down time” has been used to redirect my efforts.  My heart cried out, “I am listening, Lord.  I know that I have been set apart by You, I have been called by You into a relationship, and I am learning more and more each day how to love You more.  I desire for serving others to be a by-product of my love for You.  Please direct my paths in that.”  And you know what?!  He did!!!  This blog is a direct result of blocking out the chatter of people and honing in on God’s voice.   

After I finished my study that day, this came across my path.  Oswald Chambers wrote concerning this passage of Scripture, , 

“The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My contact with the nature of God will shape my understanding of His call and will help me realize what I truly desire to do for Him. The call of God is an expression of His nature; the service which results in my life is suited to me and is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul—“When it pleased God . . . to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him [that is, purely and solemnly express Him] among the Gentiles . . . .” 

“Service is the overflow which pours from a life filled with love and devotion. But strictly speaking, there is no call to that. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identification with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand His call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation of absolute love. Service to God is the deliberate love-gift of a nature that has heard the call of God. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of His nature. Therefore, when I receive His nature and hear His call, His divine voice resounds throughout His nature and mine and the two become one in service. The Son of God reveals Himself in me, and out of devotion to Him service becomes my everyday way of life.”

I think good ole’ Oswald summed it up perfectly, don’t you?  Drop me a note and let me know how this passage speaks to you.  I’m eager to pray for you!