2Tim. 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, according to the promise of life in Christ Jesus,
What an amazing and encouraging verse this is. Paul did what he did, not because it was his choice to be an Apostle, but because it was God’s choice. He was an Apostle by the will of God. Being an Apostle and all the enormous responsibilities and pressures that come with that calling was thrust upon him by ANOTHER. Obviously Paul delighted in God’s will and he embraced it with all of his heart. All of you find yourselves in your own unique expression of the will of God that has been thrust upon you in His love and remarkable wisdom. Hopefully you have all fully embraced His will. We live to bring Him pleasure, and our love for Him is expressed when we “Delight to do His will,” not just submit to His will.
I want you to notice something wonderful in this verse. There is an amazing promise found in the second half of verse 1. The reality is that God’s will, no matter what it is or how challenging it is, always includes a promise, and here it is. God’s will always includes the promise of LIFE. Listen to what the Apostle says, he said that he was an Apostle by the will of God, ACCORDING to the promise of life in Christ Jesus. This simple word “according” means to “in accord with,” or “on the basis of.” It literally means to “dominate.” Think about that. In every situation that you are called into, the Life of Christ is the dominate issue and reality. You can face anything with a surrendered heart knowing that the Promise of His life, and thus His presence and His ability is yours in doing His will. You embrace His will “on the basis of” the promise of the Life of Christ. That’s a game changer. Your situation is full of life; the very life of Christ. You have the promise of knowing His life in it, and the result of the whole thing will also be the fruit of life; HIS LIFE. Stop saying that your situation in life is killing you. It may be killing your flesh, and it’s selfishness and self effort, but God is offering you life. Your situation, His will, offers the promise of LIFE.