The Great Fifty Days of Easter - Day 7 - April 7th

Day 7:  April 7th

Grace

1 Corinthians 15:10 (NIV)

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.

Today's verse continues Paul's testimony of his conversion and his confession that he was the least of the apostles because of the sin that kept him from believing in Jesus Christ when he walked on this earth.  Paul also sets up the framework the confirms that salvation is not earned.  He says that he worked harder than all of the rest to become an apostle, but it was through God's grace -- unmerited, unearned -- that he received salvation.

Around 530 AD, Benedict of Nursia wrote a guidebook to monastic life.  It introduced the main principles of religious and spiritual life.  A portion of the prologue to the Rule of Benedict says... It is they who, fearing the Lord, do not pride themselves on their good observance; but, convinced that the good which is in them cannot come from themselves and must be from the Lord, glorify the Lord's work in them, using the words of the Prophet,  "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give the glory."  Thus also the Apostle Paul attributed nothing of the success of his preaching to himself, but said, "By the grace of God I am what I am."  And again he says, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." 

Paul is still mourning the fact that he never got a chance to see Jesus in person.  He yearns for the day when he will see him face to face, and he knows that day will come because of the grace that he was given at his conversion.  The last verse of "Marvelous Grace" by Julia H. Johnston captures this yearning that Paul has:

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
freely bestowed on all who believe;
you that are longing to see his face,
will you this moment his grace receive?

Grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
grace, grace, God's grace,
grace that is greater than all our sin.

Prayer:  Dear God of grace, you have surrounded us with your glory; help us to accept that we are what we are, so that we may accept Your free gift of salvation, through Your Son, Jesus Christ.  Amen.