”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 15:10New International Version (NIV)
1 Corinthians 15:10 Devotional (Daily Bible Verse)
By the grace of God I am what I am
1 Corinthians 15:10 is the verse where Paul acknowledged that “by the grace of God he was what he was“. And this was his way of saying that he was different from the other apostles.
Moreover, as Paul reiterated his point, he highlighted that his apostleship was a result of nothing that he had learned or done. He, therefore, did not merit anything except God’s condemnation.
But God, by His grace, called him to be an apostle. And, therefore, it is only by the grace of God that he was strengthened to labor in the mission field harder than the other apostles – Paul credited God’s grace for the achievements in his ministry and life.
Paul did not know the Lord as the other apostles had
Additionally, Paul had known the Lord Jesus by revelation, while the other apostles had known Him physically. This is what made Paul strongly consider himself as being at a disadvantage when he compared himself to them.
Paul persecuted the Church
Moreover, Paul had in the previous verse (1 Corinthians 15:9) stated that he was “the least of the apostles”. Therefore, he felt that he “did not even deserve to be called an apostle”, especially “because he persecuted the church of God”. And in 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul considered himself to be the “worst of the sinners that Jesus came to save” – Paul considered himself to be unworthy.
But you can be able to observe God’s grace at work in Paul’s life (1 Corinthians 15:10). Because God diverted Paul’s zealousness and devoutness to religion and the Law, for the gospel (Philippians 3:4a-11). And Paul himself testified that God’s grace was not in vain because he labored more than the other apostles (Colossians 1:29).
Your calling is way above the circumstances that surround it
Additionally, Paul’s conversion was solely by the grace of God. And this is because he was a persecutor of the Church.
In fact, Jesus appeared to Paul when he was on his way to Damascus to persecute the Christians there. And it was during this appearance that Jesus transformed Paul’s ministry.
Consequently, the history that surrounds your calling does not determine the level and the fruit of your ministry labor. This is because God can enable you to produce abundant fruit in the Lord Jesus Christ (John 15:5) – fruitfulness is very important to God and in His kingdom. And this is why Paul testified that God’s grace had produced abundant labor and fruit through him and his ministry.
Moreover, God has a strange way of making use of our pasts. Therefore, there is no past, that is, knowledge and skills, that God cannot use for His ministry in you and His glory. This was the case with Jesus and some of His disciples, whom He said that He called to be fishers of men, and not fish.
Paul’s ministry is worthy of emulation
Paul’s mighty toil, sacrificial labor, and unwavering commitment to God and God’s ministry in him are worthy of your emulation. And Paul’s life and ministry should encourage you and me to work hard where God has called us, despite the challenges we face, so that we can realize eternal impact for His glory (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Paul viewed himself in the light of the grace of God
Nevertheless, despite Paul feeling or thinking that he didn’t quite measure up to the other apostles, he viewed himself in the light of the grace of God. And this made all the difference, especially in his response to the grace of God – no wonder Paul revealed that by the grace of God, he worked harder than all the apostles.
Therefore, there’s nothing as discouraging as feeling or thinking that you don’t fit in or measure up. For if you don’t check these feelings and thoughts, they will birth low self-esteem and suicidal thoughts.
Consequently, you need to interpret your life and ministry in the light of the grace of God. Otherwise, you will become toxic to yourself.
Prayer/Blessing
May you acknowledge God and His grace that is at work in your life and calling/ministry. Amen.
Daily Bible Reading
Luke 1 (see How to Read the Bible in One Year or How to Read the Bible (for Beginners))
