The Calling of Grace

I am sure you have heard that God appointed me to share his grace with you (Ephesians 3:2 NIRV)

Paul was chosen, appointed, and equipped to share the message of grace with the Gentiles.  Big deal, so what?  Without taking into consideration what this meant to Paul, personally, that could easily be your response.  However, when you stop to think about who Paul was and look at the brief description he pens about himself to the Philippians, it begins to take on more meaning:

circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless (Philippians 3:5-6 NKJV).

Paul wasn’t just any old Jew.  He was from the most elite group in Israel.  His claim regarding no blame means that his every waking moment was spent observing the law – the very law that forbid him from ever being affiliated with a non-Jew.  So, here we have the quintessential picture of God’s grace – taking everything Paul held holy and lawful and subjugating it to the law of love.  God was blowing the doors off the Jewish corner of His market and opening wide the gates of Heaven to the Gentiles.  This was no small thing – and especially to a Pharisee of Paul’s standing.  It would be the modern day equivalent of sending Billy Graham to preach the Gospel to the Muslims. 

Yet in the midst of this master plan is the majesty of grace. Mercy is being spared from the punishment we deserve, but grace is being given something we could never earn or deserve – adoption into the family of God; restoration from sinfulness to a righteous position with a Holy God.   No amount of lawful observance could ever put someone in that position and no one knew that better than Paul.  That’s why he was the perfect choice for the job.

What is it that you have discovered about your own walk with the Lord that makes you recognize God’s grace in your life?  That’s the exact calling in which God wants you to walk.  For me, it is in marriage.  After four failed attempts, God uses my current marriage to remind me daily that in me no good thing dwells.  If I have a great relationship with my husband, it is all because of God’s grace.

Lord, thank you for the grace you have given me to experience the unity that you designed for marriage.  And grant me the mercy when I fail to realize that my ability to get back up is found in your grace because it restores me to You and in You I can do all things.