He saved us and called us with a holy calling, not by reason of our works, but by reason of his own purpose and undeserved kindness.”​—2 Tim. 1:8, 9.

6, 7. Was the calling of Paul in the form of a strong inward impulse to take a certain course of action or duty, or how?

⁶ In those words the apostle Paul admits that his being called with a holy calling was not by reason of meritorious works on his own part, but was by reason of the “purpose and undeserved kindness” on the part of God. The same was true in the case of Timothy. The calling in the cases of Paul and Timothy was not in the form of some strong inner impulse toward their particular course of action or duty. Paul was directly called by means of the resurrected Jesus Christ, who appeared to Paul while on the road to Damascus of Syria and who told Paul that in Damascus he would be informed as to what he should do. After Paul got baptized as a Christian at Damascus, he promptly began to do the things that he was called and told to do. (Acts 9:1-30; 22:1-16) So, when testifying before King Herod Agrippa in a Roman court session in Caesarea, Paul said:

⁷ “Wherefore, King Agrippa, I did not become disobedient to the heavenly sight, but both to those in Damascus first and to those in Jerusalem, and over all the country of Judea, and to the nations I went bringing the message that they should repent and turn to God by doing works that befit repentance.”​—Acts 26:12-20.

By receiving God’s spirit with its manifestation, both Paul and Timothy knew that they had been called by God by reason of God’s purpose and undeserved kindness.

9, 10. (a) What did Paul’s knowing that he had a calling put into his life? (b) Hence, on what did Paul keep his eyes fixed, like a contestant in what games?

⁹ A person’s knowing definitely that he has a calling or invitation puts purpose in his life. Paul called attention to this fact when, in the course of his second letter, he said to Timothy: “You have closely followed my teaching, my course of life, my purpose, my faith, my long-suffering, my love, my endurance.” (2 Tim. 3:10) Because Paul had a purpose he endured with long-suffering and stuck to a certain course of life. He kept his eye on his God-given purpose. He had an “eye goal” or “eye target,” as the Japanese and Korean words for “purpose” mean. (Japanese, moku teki; Korean, mok jok) He likened himself to a contestant in a footrace with his eyes undeviatingly fixed on the goal where the prize was to be conferred upon the winner. So he wrote these words about himself:

¹⁰ “I am pursuing to see if I may also lay hold on that for which I have also been laid hold on by Christ Jesus. Brothers, I do not yet consider myself as having laid hold on it; but there is one thing about it: Forgetting the things behind and stretching forward to the things ahead, I am pursuing down toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God by means of Christ Jesus.”​—Phil. 3:12-14.

11. (a) So, with what did Paul harmonize his life course? (b) What value did Paul place upon the prize set before him?

¹¹ According to those words of the apostle Paul, God was the One who did the calling by means of Christ Jesus, and this calling was for a purpose. In appreciation of this undeserved kindness on God’s part toward him, Paul harmonized his life course with God’s purpose. Paul saw clearly which way to go, for God had set a goal before him. If he successfully reached that goal, he would receive a prize at God’s hands. Paul did not disdain that prize, for to do so would mean for him to spurn God’s undeserved kindness. It was a marvelous prize, and it represented an extraordinary generosity, largeheartedness, on God’s part. It was in fact the highest, the greatest, prize that God could give creatures, namely, joint heirship with the glorified Son of God, Jesus Christ, in his heavenly kingdom. (Phil. 3:7-11; 2:9-11) No wonder that Paul considered as a lot of refuse all earthly advantages that meant selfish gain for him! He kept his eyes fixed on the prize.