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The sufferings of Paul
Before his dramatic conversion, the apostle Paul was an aggressive and brutal man. Being a fanatical Pharisee, he was an enemy of Christians and persecuted them without pause. “Saul (Paul) was breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord and gladly consented to the death of Stephen” ( Acts 9:1). Yet God, in His mercy, began unfolding a plan that was to bring Paul to Christ and then turn him into a dynamic, unstoppable force for the spreading of the Gospel around the Roman Empire.
But God also had in store a long series of trials and tribulations that were to make his Christian experience an enormously difficult and challenging one.
What if God had not added all the many trials to Paul’s Christian experience? What if He had simply helped him carry his gospel responsibilities without having to also bear all the suffering he also had to endure? Would that not have been fairer? Would that not have made it easier for him to perform his evangelistic duties? Would he have recieved as much dear revelation he had attained?
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"Deep calleth unto deep..." (Psalms 42:7).
"Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in sprit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee..." (1Timothy 4:12-14).
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