By the Grace of God, I Am What I Am

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 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 15:9-10 Today I would like to take a look at this passage...1 Corinthians 15:9-10. I read it this past week and was reminded of God's grace. It was one of those passages that makes you stop and take another look. When I did I was so moved by Paul's words that I could not help but thank God for his amazing grace and love for me! "For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 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." Why would Paul say this? He was one of the most popular apostles of his time. His writings were anticipated throughout the churches and regions of the Roman Empire. He had a following of thousands. His words pierced the hearts of those who read his words. If you had a chance to hear him, you were in the presence of a "celebrity" that was impacting his culture! Yet at this moment we see the heart of Paul and what is exactly going through the mind of this great leader. Why would he discredit his apostleship? Lets go back about twenty years. Paul ordered hundreds to die because of their new found faith in Christ. He was a pharisee who oversaw the persecution of the church! He threw Christians into prison. He made children orphans. A father or mother were taken from a family. Homes were destroyed. Blood was on his hands! He created fear throughout the region for the believers of this new found faith. All these years, Paul carried this burden with him that he could not take back. How hard it must have been for him to prove that he had changed. He even said he did "not even deserve to be called an apostle." The fear he brought to people in his early years must have been a great wall to break through. Can you imagine Paul's first few meetings with Peter and the leaders of the church. Acts 9:26 states, "When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple." If I was Peter I would be in a cautious mode. I would probably be questioning his motives and watching very closely this newcomer. Peter was human, as were the many thousands of believers that Paul first came into contact with. It was the very suspicion that Paul had to fight through. Paul even states, "I worked harder than all of them". He wanted to prove to everybody that he changed! He was not the same person who had cause so much pain. He was different and wanted people to see that! I am sure that the faces of those persecuted, haunted Paul through out the years. Then Paul writes one of the most powerful words that all of us can relate to.

But by the grace of God I am what I am...

Let that sink in. By the grace of God, I am what I am. Paul was a horrible man! He was a murderer! He was feared! Yet the grace of God made him into the man he was when he wrote this letter! God's grace transformed him! The definition of "grace" (using the word in theological terms) is as followed: a. the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. b. the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. c. a virtue or excellence of divine origin: the Christian graces. d. Also called state of grace. the condition of being in God's favor or one of the elect. I love the first definition...the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. Despite Paul's past, he was who he was because of his past! God had used Paul's past to propel him to greatness! Look what Paul wrote next.."his grace to me was not without effect,". Paul was transformed! He was changed! The hate gone! The righteous piety turned into a loving relationship with God. The very prophecies he read about came true to him through Christ. God's grace! He finished the comment with, "yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me." He had changed not of his own doing, put by the power of God that now ruled in his life. His salvation through Christ allowed God's grace to fall on him! Today is not about what profession you associate yourself with. It is not about wealth or poverty. It is not even about chasing a dream. It's about you. You. At one time or another, we have all been a Paul. Looking back at our lives we may have done somethings that we may feel is unworthy in God's eyes. We say to ourselves, "There is no way God can forgive me." "How can God love someone like me.?" Whatever the event, it is no greater than the grace of God. I am what I am today because of God's grace. Without his grace, there would be no teaching job as a Bible teacher. There would be no Irrevocable Call. There would be no speaking to the masses. May I even go as far as saying, that my family would probably be non existent. God's grace has given me an opportunity to live a life of hope and peace. I know, there will be times that will be difficult. Life never promises to be easy, yet I can stand in the confidence knowing that the God that has changed my life will give strength to me in the time and hour that I need it! I can never take back my mistakes. But I know One who I can lay them down to. May I conclude by challenging you today to experience the grace of God. If God can shed grace to Paul, he can with you. If He can shed grace on me, I know He can shed His grace on you. No wrong doing is greater than what the grace of God can give!

I am bending my knee In the eye of the Father who created me, In the eye of the Son who died for me, In the eye of the Spirit who cleansed me, In love and desire. Pour down upon us from heaven The rich blessing of Thy forgiveness; Thou who art uppermost in the City, Be Thou patient with us. Grant to us, Thou Saviour of Glory, The fear of God, the love of God, and His affection, And the will of God to do on earth at all times As angels and saints do in heaven; Each day and night give us Thy peace. -An ancient Scottish Prayer

Experience God's grace today. Experience His love. When we surrender our past, it moves the grace of God to move in our life. It allows us to experience the fullness of God's love for us! Grace...the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. God's grace...what a gift.

His call. His gift to us. Your Purpose. Irrevocable!



Coming this February 20th: