1 Corinthians 15:9-10: “For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.”
Are you comfortable with who you are? Have you realized that your purpose is not in your position? Have you thought about what is God’s perspective on who you are and acknowledge His grace in developing and strengthening your abilities? Paul did.
Paul became one of the most influential apostles. Paul recognized that God had poured kindness and grace into his life despite his sin.
Paul had no desire to compete with the other apostles. I find that interesting and noteworthy of his leadership style. He fully accepted and witnessed the grace of God upon his own life and stood firm in his position in Christ. He simply fulfilled God’s purpose for his life in being a servant for Christ, while being a tent-maker, in writing and teaching the churches, and worked hard in whatever he did. He kept his focus on the heavenly prize of living in eternity with Christ.
Declaring Christ’s message was Paul’s top priority rather than debating issues of opinions held by various cliques (at one point the Corinthians had split into following their own favorite preacher such as Paul, Apollos, Peter, etc.). He didn’t get sidetracked and stayed the course of preaching the truth of the gospel and the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul was chosen last and not in the number of the twelve apostles. He was selected as an extra apostle. He was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which caused him to radically change from an unbeliever to that of a believer because he saw the Lord raised from the dead. Jesus presented Himself to Paul. Paul gave the grace of God all the credit for changing his life. That is what kept Paul humble. This grace of God changes us, but not all at once. It takes a lifetime. What do you know about the grace of God in your life?
Do you sometimes feel unlovable? Do you feel you have worth? Have you wrapped yourself around the fact that whose you are determines who you are? I have to remind myself often that my security and self-worth resides in God’s unconditional love for me. My intellect, position, performance, possessions, and business and personal contacts that I count on, are all temporary and fallible. But the wisdom and care God gives me is eternal and sure. God’s grace is sufficient.
Did you ever think of yourself as a trophy of God’s grace? I believe Paul did. Paul sums it up when he states: “But by the grace of God, I am what I am . . .” just as God said to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “I AM THAT I AM.”
God is faithful.
Listen to MercyMe – Beautiful – Story Behind The Song, YouTube. 7.40 minutes. A message from Bart.