The Unseen Battle

Paul was the fearless warrior of God, though his warfare was not fought in the typical sense of the word. He saw the spiritual implications of his actions on a global spiritual battlefield. At the intersection of spiritual and physical Paul endured many hardships: beaten, whipped, shipwrecked, stoned, imprisoned, and left for dead, yet he endured through to the end. In fact, in 2 Tim 4:6 he tells us “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand.”. He literally gave it his all, which begs the question, why aren’t we? Was Paul any different than you or me? Was he simply chosen to serve above and beyond while the rest of us are simply called to exist in our salvation? From prison, Paul wrote this to us, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;” (Philippians 2:12) That said I don't think Paul would have advocated for a simple existence in the assurance of our own salvation, as there can be no reverence for our salvation, nor for the Lord, without devoted service. Instead, we are called to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. Simply put, we are to serve God with reverence, rather than only going to work and sitting in Church once a week. However, in doing so, we will endure hardships. 

Paul’s key to enduring hardships was his confidence in his calling. He was sure that God had called him to his specific mission in Rome. Based on this confidence, that is the spoken, now written, word of God, he was able to make sound decisions that would further him on the mission he was called to. In Acts 25 he could have simply gone to Jerusalem and been a martyr for Christ and done SOME good. But if he had, we would not have 7 of the 13 books he wrote in the New Testament! By staying focused and enduring hardship he completed his mission and did the MOST good with his life rather than the least.