"Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:"
As Paul is recounting the story of his conversion to king Agrippa this part reminded me of something our family recently read in Doctrine and Covenants, sections 39 & 40. James Covel was a Methodist minister that covenanted to obey any command the Lord would give him through the prophet Joseph Smith. The Lord called him to be baptized and then go to the Ohio to preach the gospel. In less than 48 hours Covel broke his covenant to do either. The reason, Covel thought he should be called to preach to the prominent people where he had preached before. As I read his story I realize that the fear of persecution (most likely in Ohio), and the cares of the world (possibly pride in who he wanted to convert) left him with these stunning words from the Lord.
"Wherefore he broke my covenant, and it remaineth with me to do with him as seemeth me good. Amen."
(Doctrine and Covenants 40:3)
I see in the Paul the opposite. He does exactly what the Lord asked him to do. He isn't told to preach to his "own kind" he is sent to the Gentiles. Pride is gone, and yet Paul preached the gospel to a king. What would have happened to James Covel if he had done the same thing?
Day 1617
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