God’s Grace: Amazing!

But God’s amazing grace has made me who I am! And his grace to me was not fruitless. In fact, I worked harder than all the rest, yet not in my own strength but God’s, for his empowering grace is poured out upon me.  1 Corinthians 15:10 TPT

There are many stories documenting the success of people who accomplished great things. People love to hear these stories especially when the individual was not from a privileged background. It’s easy to understand how a child from an affluent family rises to the top; society expects these individuals to succeed. When you listen to the story of Oprah Winfrey, and you look at her background, the expectation was failure. Everything that predicted failure was a part of her life but she defied the expectations and became a huge success.

Before his conversion, no one expected Paul, previously known as Saul, to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ.  He was a Jew who was committed to what he believed. He described his past in Philippians 3:5, he said, ^“I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.”  But just like Oprah, change came into his life.  Jesus made the difference and now he was preaching the same gospel he tried to eradicate.

As he reflected on his life, he recognized that he couldn’t take credit for the man he became. His success was the result of God’s amazing grace. The man who was so committed to destroying the gospel became the Apostle to the Gentiles. He spent the rest of his life serving Jesus Christ and he served faithfully. He did not become despondent when he was imprisoned for the gospel; instead he used it as an opportunity to spread the Good News. When he greeted the Philippians Church, he extended greetings from Caesar’s household. Even in prison Paul was fruitful because of God’s amazing grace.

Thought for Today: Friend, God’s grace can make the difference in your life.

Have a blessed day and walk in faith and victory.