But it is God who...
Illustration
"But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment."
Jeff listened to his grandfather's stories about working in the area shops of their community. So much has changed. Jeff's grandfather was an apprentice, then a journeyman, and was a proud member of the union with all its privileges and perks. As the global economy has affected their community, many such jobs have long disappeared. Jeff has to do much multi-tasking to remain employed. He needs to be skilled in the back shop, possess people skills, and to be constantly upgrading his knowledge in the computer field. Jeff never really got the "apprenticeship and journeyman" experience of his grandfather. So he looks for legitimacy in his credentials in the organization where he works. Paul, who also was always trying to stake a claim for his legitimacy as an apostle (as he was not one of the original twelve), reminds us that God's calling and seal of the Spirit in our hearts is what validates our mission in life (v. 22). The journeyman's cards may disappear along with the company logo, yet the Spirit is with us forever. Paul knew that this was the grounding of his calling. So it is with our calling within our communities.
Jeff listened to his grandfather's stories about working in the area shops of their community. So much has changed. Jeff's grandfather was an apprentice, then a journeyman, and was a proud member of the union with all its privileges and perks. As the global economy has affected their community, many such jobs have long disappeared. Jeff has to do much multi-tasking to remain employed. He needs to be skilled in the back shop, possess people skills, and to be constantly upgrading his knowledge in the computer field. Jeff never really got the "apprenticeship and journeyman" experience of his grandfather. So he looks for legitimacy in his credentials in the organization where he works. Paul, who also was always trying to stake a claim for his legitimacy as an apostle (as he was not one of the original twelve), reminds us that God's calling and seal of the Spirit in our hearts is what validates our mission in life (v. 22). The journeyman's cards may disappear along with the company logo, yet the Spirit is with us forever. Paul knew that this was the grounding of his calling. So it is with our calling within our communities.
