Because 50 Day 45
Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 15:9-10
9For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
Today’s Prayer:
God, give me the courage to be obedient to your Spirit and to trust You with the results.
Going Deeper:
When I was a kid, I loved playing Nintendo. My all-time favorite game was Contra. It was tough, but the cool part of the game was that you could play two-player cooperative play. While I might be struggling with a level on my own, I could have a friend come over and we could play it together and we could get further than I could ever get on my own. The only way I ever beat the game on my own was when I discovered a hidden power. The programmers had coded into the game a game changer. All you had to do was at the beginning of the game push: up, up, down, down, left, right, left right, B, A, Start. Immediately you would be credited with 30 lives.
Having a proper understanding of God’s grace can be a game changer in your life. When you understand who God is, what He has done for you, how He works in the lives of others through you, it frees you up. It is no longer about what you can do on your own ability. It’s about what God can do through you. It is no longer about how well you can verbalize your faith, but it’s about your being obedient to His command to share your faith and trusting that He will do what He desires.
Knowing that God’s grace makes you who you are, how does that free you up to live out the gospel in your life? What does that free you from that might otherwise hold you back? Paul understood that he had a sordid past; he had persecuted the church. But because of the grace of God, he was no longer that, but he was an apostle of Christ Jesus. What has Jesus Christ saved you from? How has that grace inspired you to pursue Him more?