1 Cor. {15:10} But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
The grace of God.
What is the grace of God? We know that if you're given a grace period for something you've bought it usually means that for that period of time you don't have to pay interest on a debt. If you're given a grace period for six months or so on your insurance that means for those six months you haven't been able to pay but the grace is extended to you until you can pay again. If that grace period runs out they you have to start paying interest on your loan, or you have to start making payments on a bill or risk losing all insurance coverage. There are many different ways to get across what a grace period is but that's not the grace of God. The grace of God is something much more special and everlasting.
The grace of God is giving us undeserved mercy that through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ we are given grace that allows us to claim eternal life so that we will not suffer the penalty for our sins- the penalty being eternal death.
You can see how much more God's grace is that a little grace people might show to one another.
By the grace of God, Paul says he is what he is and that God's grace which was bestowed on him wasn't in vain.
Is the grace of God bestowed upon us in vain?
Are we true laborers of Christ, living members of the body of Christ working together to bring Christ's message of salvation to all those we can?
To be a Christian means that we are Christ-followers. If we follow Christ we need to be bringing His message to all we can. A follower of someone is a supporter of that someone. If you support a certain politician you might go about campaigning for that politican in various way. Are you as a Christian campaigning for Christ? Are you ready to answer anyone for the reason of hope in you? The hope being the message of salvation given us through Jesus' sacrifice.
When you support a politican you might be asked what things that politican stands for, what are that politician's policies, what sorts of things that politician will hope to accomplish if elected and so on. Having just recently been through a presidential year unlike any other most people know what I'm talking about. However, if you don't know what your politician stands for are you really a true follower of them? You might give that politician your vote but what substance the politician holds is lost to you.
There are many professed Christians, many, many, and yes, many! Yet they follow along blindly. They call themselves Christians but aren't even fully aware of who Christ really is beyond God's Son who died and rose again. Do Christians need to know more than that? I say no, not if their knowing that is known with a conviction of heart making it a truth they cannot keep to themselves but need to share.
To nonchalantly say you're a Christian... is that something Jesus wanted, something Jesus promoted? Can God's grace be given in vain?
1 Cor. {15:10} But by the grace of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain.
I believe it can be. God's grace is something so amazing and so special, so real and so alive that it's something we shouldn't be able to hide or deny. Being saved from eternal death, being given eternal life to fully realize the love of God through Jesus Christ our Savior is something we need to be in awe of and not take for granted.
No, we're not all preachers, prophets, teachers and so on, but the lives we lead need to be such that we are professing Christ and His gift of Salvation.
May the Lord help us all be true campaign workers for Him and that the grace bestowed upon us, not a single bit of it, is in vain.
By His love and mercy!
Amen.
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