Grace Changes You - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 8, 2022

Do not let God's grace have no effect in your life and that of others. God's grace must change you. Consider it's impact on Paul according to 1 Corinthians 15:10 - 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.

These words, written by Apostle Paul, require you take a close look at yourself and ask, what effect has God's grace had on you? Are you a kinder person? Are you more prayerful? Are you quieter? More grateful? More patient?

Or, has your encounter with God had no impact at all?

Notice, in Paul's case, God's grace upon his life humbled him, driving him to work harder to be worthy. And for good reason. When Paul met Jesus, he was known as Saul of Tarsus, a member of the Sanhedrin (a religious group with great influence in Israelite society at the time) on the fast track to a leadership position (Acts 7). He gave his assent to the murder of Stephen by stoning (Acts 22:20) and was later given authority to hunt down and kill the followers of Jesus Christ (Acts 9).

And yet, Jesus - who'd died, resurrected and risen to Heaven - met him on his way to Damascus. That encounter transformed him. It left him temporarily blind, and convicted him of his sins. He became Paul of Tarsus, his name meaning "humbled". He was born again in Jesus Christ and became the man who wrote the most books in the New Testament of the Bible. He went from persecutor of Christ and His followers, to a fervent apostle of Christ who performed miracles that remain mind-boggling today.

The impact of God's grace was to take a man of pedigree and make him the lowest of the low. When he became a follower of Christ, he had to learn about Jesus because unlike the other apostles, he hadn't lived with the Messiah. Plus, the believers in Christ feared him and were suspicious. He wasn't their favorite. Yet, that didn't change God's plans - He raised Paul to become one for the most important figures of the early church. And Paul appreciated that mercy, zealously doing the needful to be worthy of the grace He'd received.

How has God's grace changed you? Saul didn't become Paul overnight and we thank the Lord for that. It means, God will patiently transform us if we let Him. As we walk with the Lord day by day, let us allow His word to change us and make us better. Let us allow our experiences - the good and the bad - to finetune us for His glory, removing the dross that needs to go while buffing to a shine the parts of us that reflect Him. Let us keep an eye toward letting the Lord make us into implements of service that help others come closer to Him by doing the things that please Him - praise, intercede for others, fast, study the Bible, and treat people with love.

May the Lord help us, IJMN, Amen.