Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 302

October 29;      I Corinthians 15:10;       148/260(III);        ‘By God’s Grace’

1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Amazing grace is the proper term for what the Lord has done for us.  The word grace has so many wonderful meanings that it is almost untranslatable.  In verse 9 Paul tells us that he is the least of the apostles and is not worthy to be called an apostle.  Now in this verse Paul teaches some vital truths about grace.  Despite Paul’s relentless desire to destroy Christianity, once Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, God, by His  grace, forgave him, made him righteous and called him into the ministry.  The next part of this verse is so important.  Paul tells us that the grace of God was not in vain.  All of us were saved by the grace of the Lord, His unmerited favor.  We must never forget the Lord’s grace and conduct our lives in a manner that minimizes or takes for granted what Jesus did for us.  What did Paul do with the grace of God?  Out of deep heartfelt gratitude and a determination Paul was as diligent to promote Jesus as he was in an attempt to destroy Christianity.  Once we know the truth, we have the honor and responsibility to share that truth with everyone we can.  Regardless of who you are, once we understand God’s grace, we should desire to share the truth with everyone we can.  Paul concludes this verse by teaching that it was the grace of God that worked in Paul helping Paul to do the work of the ministry.  All the Lord wants is for us to be grateful, love Him and by His grace, reach so many who do not yet know Him.