THIS GRACE
EPHESIANS 3:7-8 NKJV
7 of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. 8 To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Paul was undoubtedly one of the most effective servants of God in any generation. But if you tried to tell him that, he would most likely have none of it. Paul understood grace.
When Paul speaks of becoming a minister, he credits the grace of God that was given to him. He does not talk about his discipline and personal resolve, although he had that in abundance.
Paul does not credit his background and grasp of Old Testament scriptures. He does not give a nod to his ability to speak or his high level of intelligence.
Paul recognizes that it was God's grace that made him a minister of the gospel of Christ. He even calls himself less than the least of all the saints. Paul recognized that he was the last in line to receive God's grace to preach.
Before he came to Christ, Paul was an enemy of the church. He did everything in his power to stop the spread of the gospel. When the Lord arrested Paul on his way to Damascus, Paul was the biggest problem to the cause of Christ.
And yet God saved him and gave him the grace to become the most influential Christian of any era. Paul understood grace.
Paul knew grace was a free gift from God. Grace was God's power and ability to do what man can not do on his own. It was grace that made Paul a minister of the gospel.
And here is another aspect of grace. Paul was given grace to preach to the Gentiles the riches of Christ. If anyone was well-equipped to reach the Jewish people, it was Paul. He was a former Pharisee and had been highly educated in the laws of God and Jewish customs. Paul could go toe to toe with the best of the Jewish scholars. But God sent him to the Gentiles, who were completely uninformed of Old Testament writings.
APPLICATION:
All of us have received grace to have a part in the Body of Christ. Peter tells us to be good managers of this grace. (1 Peter 4:10)
It is important to find out the grace that is given to us. Grace is not limited to preachers and singers. There is grace to sing, serve, help, administer, encourage, fiance, and strengthen the Body of Christ.
All of us have the potential to say this grace was given to me.
PRAYER:
Lord, thank You for the grace that has been given to me to take my place in the Body of Christ.