Lenten Devo #41—"Set Apart for Me"

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. (Acts 13:2-3)

Some people are set apart for certain tasks. They are called by God to do certain things. (That's what ordination is, by the way. It's a call to a specific ministry task for which we are set apart.) So it was for Paul and Barnabas.

But what you may not know is that there is a sense in which each of us is set apart. While we may not hear the Holy Spirit speaking to us (although, are we worshiping and fasting the way they did?), each of us is called to faithfully follow the commandments of Jesus, living according to his law and sharing his gospel message.

Each of us is set apart from the world, moreover. We are called to be distinct from our neighbors who don't know Jesus and to do so as a means of pointing to him.

Not all of us are called to be ordained. But each of us is called to a mission. And that mission always begins with prayer.

Who are you praying for today?