“Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.”
—Romans 1:1

This verse references God’s words in Genesis 15:6, but they do not apply only to Abraham.

Paul said he was “called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God.” But guess what? In a sense so are you. We all have been set apart for the gospel of God.

We are holy because Christ has made us holy, and the word holy means set apart. If God has set us apart for Himself, we need to live in a way that reflects that fact. (See 1 Peter 1:15–21.) We should not look or act like the world because we have come out of the world. We have been chosen to be salt and light. (See Matthew 5:13–14.) We are in the world but not of the world.

You are special because God chose you out of the world and set you apart. Jesus said, “You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain” (John 15:16). That is true of all God’s children. And why did God set you apart? It was for the gospel. God wants you and me to touch people with the good news of Jesus.

Once I went to a restaurant that I had not visited in a long time. After I was seated, the waitress came to my table and said she remembered me from when I was there previously. The woman looked vaguely familiar, but I didn’t remember her well. She remembered me because I told her about Jesus and prayed with her. That prayer opened her heart so much that during my subsequent visit, she pulled a chair up to my table and asked if I would pray for her because the restaurant was closing and she didn’t know what she was going to do.

It may not always seem like it, but people are hungry for the good news. People are lost and hurting and in darkness. When you reach out to them in love and tell them Jesus loves them or ask to pray for them, you don’t know how much that will often mean to them.

So, beloved, let’s be who Jesus has called us to be. We are set apart unto God to show His love by sharing the good news of His kingdom with the world.

Father God, thank You for choosing me out of the world and setting me apart for You. Help me to be a light in this world, revealing Your love and truth to those who are in need and hurting. I thank You, Father, for giving me opportunities to touch people with the good news of the gospel. Help me to make the most of each chance I have to be a witness for You.

Rabbi Kirt A. Schneider, Rivers of Revelation (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2020), Used by permission.