Now, when it delights God, Who severs me from my mother's womb and calls me through His grace, to unveil His Son in me that I may be evangelizing Him among the nations, I did not immediately submit to flesh and blood, neither came I up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I came away into Arabia, and I return again to Damascus. Thereupon, after three years, I came up to Jerusalem to relate my story to Cephas, and I stayed with him fifteen days.
Paul to the Galatians 1: 15-18, Concordant New Testament
I've had plenty of jobs in my life which most people would consider dirty jobs. My current job also falls into this category. I will say, that dirty jobs are not considered as that essential, just dirty. The mantra for so many years was that our young generation needed to prepare for the world outside their home by studying and going to college. As a result, far too many young adults are now straddled with enormous student loan debts which might take them years to repay. All for the promise of a better, non dirty, well paying job that may or may not materialize. We can use the apostle Paul as an illustration of this. Paul? But Paul was a servant of the Lord. True, but before he was a servant, he was known as Saul, a persecutor of the brethren followers of Jesus. Saul grew up in the Jewish faith, being groomed obviously for a grand position within the ranks of the Jewish Elite. Not a dirty job by any means, even back then. Saul would have spent many years in the Jewish religious system, learning all he needed to know of his faith. We can assume that Saul believed that he was serving the Lord in his education. There would be no dirty jobs for Saul, or so he thought. Then came, as they say, Sauls "Come to Jesus moment" which he experienced on that road to Damascus {Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20}. Suddenly, in a moment, Saul was confronted with the reality of the Lord whom he had been sent to persecute. This, of course, ran contrary to all of his years of higher learning in the Jewish synagogues. It seems that Sauls years of higher learning were not beneficial to his own knowing of Christ Jesus he met on the Damascus road. Saul was destined for a dirty job and he didn't even know it.
Not all knowledge comes from college
~Mike Rowe~
We know from scripture that the man formerly known as Saul spent three years in the Arabian desert in the wake of his Damascus road experience. Why would Paul not immediately go out and speak to the wonders of Jesus after his conversion? Well, he did for a short time {Acts of the Apostles 9:20}. The trouble was, Paul, having been raised and trained in the Jewish faith, needed to re-learn a lot of what he only thought he knew about God. What better place to learn about his new understanding than in the isolation of the Arabian desert? We can assume that Paul spent a lot of time in communion with the Lord during those three years in the desert. Think of all of the de-programming which he needed to go through. All of those years in the heart of the Jewish faith certainly had to be addressed. Who was this Jesus Whom he was introduced to on the Damascus road? Obviously, before God could use this former Pharisee, He needed to prepare him for his new calling. We can assume that this is indeed how Paul spent his days in the desert. When he was ready, the Lord led him out of Arabia and back to Jerusalem {Paul to the Galatians 1:18}. It was here where Paul's ministry of Christ truly began. I have a friend who mirrors Paul's journey in many ways. Choosing to serve and teach the Lord, he spent many years in the halls of the seminary learning what the church thought he needed to know to serve the Lord. Upon graduation, he went to work teaching God in the traditional Christian fashions and traditions. But something about it didn't sit well with his spirit, and after many years in the service of the mainstream church, the Father revealed to him, as he had the man Saul, His Son in him. My friend did not retire to the desert for three years, but he definitely has spent many years learning the leading of the Father in him. It is through this man that I came to the realization of Christ Jesus in my own life. It is through the Fathers leading that each of us have revealed His truth to those around us. This is the desire of the living God, that He will be known to His children. It is only through those who know Him that the world will truly know the Father. Not a dirty job at all.
~Scott~
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