- "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the Church of God.
- But by the GRACE of God I am what I am, AND HIS GRACE TOWARDS ME WAS NOT IN VAIN; but I laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the GRACE of God which was with me."
1 Corinthians 15:9,10 (NKJV)
• If someone is manifesting one gift or the other, doing exploits in the Kingdom—the person is engraced to do it.
- Grace of God on someone's life makes him or her do exploit.
- The grace of God on Paul's life made him labour more than other apostles (1 Corinthians 15:10)
- Although Paul considered himself the least among the early apostles, but he worked harder than anyone of them; the grace of God on him was not in vain.
- The grace of God on your life should not be in vain: for grace is given in proportion to the measure of Christ's gift: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift" (Ephesians 4:7).
- If I may ask, what are you doing with the grace of God on your life?
- You are to labour with the grace, to expand the Kingdom of God on earth.
• What is grace?
- It is the ability given by God to an individual to do a particular thing well.
- It is also, God's kindness or favour shown to an individual or a group of people.
- According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (G5485 Page 1683):
~ Charis, that is, GRACE: divine influence upon the heart, and its reflection in the life.
~ In other words, Grace is God's influence on someone's heart which permeates, spreads, to every part of the person's life.
• Grace is God's influence on your life to work and labour for the expansion of His kingdom on earth.
- What has God given you grace to do well? Are you doing it?
- The grace given to you may not be the same with that of other person, thus you need not copy him or her.
- "But on the contrary, WHEN THEY SAW THE GOSPEL FOR THE UNCIRCUMCISED HAD BEEN COMMITTED TO ME [Paul], AS THE GOSPEL FOR THE CIRCUMCISED WAS TO PETER
- (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles),
- and when JAMES, CEPHAS [Peter] and JOHN, WHO SEEMED TO BE PILLARS, PERCEIVED THE GRACE THAT HAD BEEN GIVEN TO ME, they gave ME [Paul] and BARNABAS the RIGHT ✋ HAND OF FELLOWSHIP, that we should GO to the GENTILES and they to the circumcised."
Galatians 2:7-9 (NKJV)
• If the grace to do a particular thing well is given to you, it would be visible to others. In other words, other people should be able to attest to it.
- The grace of God on your life will make you stand out, outstanding, singled you out, for the particular assignment given to you.
- Without doubt other apostles could recognize the grace that was given to Paul (Galatians 2:9).
- If you are hazy, uncertain, or confused, about the kind of grace on your life, you may need to pay attention to the testimonies and comments of those whom you minister to.
- Endeavor to know the grace of God on your life and use it to bless mankind, that it might not be in vain (1 Corinthians 15:10).
"Through Him [Jesus] we have received GRACE and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name."
Romans 1:5 (NKJV)
• The grace of God on your life shall not be in vain in Jesus' name.
Peace!