Thursday, June 10, 2021
But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.
1 Corinthians 15:10
By The Grace of God
Do you have a feeling that God saved you with a purpose and not just to go to heaven when you die? That He has something more in mind? We were saved so that at any time and any place God might display His incredible grace and kindness to you and through you!
Paul said, But by the grace of God, I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. What Paul is saying is that everything he has become is because of the activity of the living God in his life. God takes the ashes we make of our lives and turns it into something beautiful. He took Paul, who persecuted Christians and even killed them, and turned Him into a man who was passionate about leading others to Christ. Only by the grace of God can we be made new.
Note that Paul attaches the fact that he did not leave it all to God but WORKED with God. I know at times I am guilty of wanting God to do all the work for me, partly because of fear and partly because of not wanting to make the wrong decision. But this not usually how God works. He wants us to trust Him and step in faith. There is story after story in the Bible - and lives of people we know - about taking the first step in faith. It takes a huge dose of faith to step off the edge of the cliff and know God will provide the next place our foot will fall. And when God has a plan for you, and you obediently follow His lead, there will always be a place for your foot as you take the next step.
When God takes your life and shapes it, He has something in mind! He gives us gifts and talents to be used for His glory and shapes our lives to be the instrument He has chosen. If we truly wish to see His plan for us fulfilled, we need to be willing for God to place us in the situation or circumstance for which we were designed to be. We must be willing and available to let Him lead and guide us. Can you see the magnitude of what God can do to those wholly yielded to Him? One purpose that God has for all Christians is that we know God and make Him known. God can change lives and use our changed lives as a testimony to His grace and love for us. It will be evident to those around us - family, friends, and co-workers. As others see this in our lives, they will want to know the grace and love of our amazing God.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you. I appointed you that you should go out and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain. John 15:16
