As Paul introduced his second letter to the church at Corinth, he identified himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God.  He wrote in…

2 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints which are in all Achaia:

Paul emphasized the fact that his office of an apostle was not one in which he chose for himself. He never went to school to earn the degree of apostle, nor did he put in an application for the job. It is likely that if he were to consider the possibility of his being accepted as a genuine apostle, he would have been discouraged and not even made an effort.

The established requirements of becoming an apostle included actually having a face-to-face interview with Jesus Himself. That would entail being able to physically see Jesus; and for Paul, that opportunity had long passed, since Jesus had already been crucified, resurrected, and ascended to Heaven.

Paul did not initiate the process of becoming an apostle. He was minding his own business, carrying out his orders to travel to Damascus and deliver warrants for the arrest of accused Christians. Paul had been responsible for the arrest and execution of many professing Christians, and this day was to be just another ‘successful’ day of putting down the growing threat against Judaism.

Paul had no idea that he was about to have a Divine appointment. With no warning, Paul was blinded by a bright light, and Paul found himself in the Presence of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord revealed to Paul, then called Saul, that He had a special purpose for him.
Paul would no longer hunt Christians to have them put to death; he would begin hunting those who would become Christians, to lead them to life.

On his face before the Lord, Paul believed on Him as his Messiah, and his life was radically transformed. He had not planned it, nor had he any indication it would happen. His life was changed and he became an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ because God had willed it.

The will of God is something very powerful. What God wills is what happens. Everything in nature responds to the powerful, sovereign will of God; everything, however, except one thing. Every plant and animal immediately obeys every one of God’s commands; every planet and star in every galaxy move in the direction of His slightest directive. There is only one in God’s creation that finds it difficult to respond to His will…man.

God’s will is all powerful. It would be good for each of us to remember the awesome gift that God gave us, and exercise it in complete obedience to that will. God will be glorified, and we will be supremely blessed.