By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them – yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. (1 Corinthians 15:10)
God’s grace not only saves the unworthy, it strengthens the inadequate . . . and that includes you and me. God’s grace in Paul’s life was not without effect, and it is not without effect in our lives either. Always remember that God never calls the equipped; rather, He equips the called. God glories in calling the inadequate into His service. His great grace, through the work of the Holy Spirit, makes them adequate.
We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me. (Colossians 1:28-29)
Paul knew he could do nothing apart from God’s enabling grace. Nothing of any eternal value would ever be accomplished in his in his own strength. But because Paul relied on the grace of God and labored in the strength of the Almighty, his ministry changed the world. Now, Paul certainly had to do his part; he had to work and minister where God called him to go. But he knew he had to do every bit of the work he had been called to do surrendered to the strength of his Savior, Jesus Christ. The power of Christ was at work in Paul’s life, and that same power is available to each one of us.
If there ever was someone who could have relied on his own strength, upbringing, background and education, it would have been Paul. He was a Hebrew of Hebrews and a scholar of scholars. Yet he considered it all rubbish after Jesus showed up in his life. Paul surrendered everything he was in service to His Lord and Savior; and in surrendering his entire existence to Jesus, Paul not only received God’s unmerited favor, he received God’s enabling power.
How is it with you today? Is the grace that saved you strengthening you for the work God has called you to do? “By the grace of God I am what I am,” Paul said. May that be the confession of our lives also.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 