O, the Depth of God’s Grace!

Daily Devotional – Monday, August 21, 2023
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.
1 Timothy 1:15 (NKJV)

Paul’s journey from sinner to saint illustrates how far grace can go to draw a soul back to God. Saul (or Apostle Paul) was among the most educated Pharisees of his day. A Roman citizen by birth, he was also well-versed in Hebrew scripture and was a renowned defender of Orthodox Judaism.

When Grace Located Paul

So zealous was he of the Jewish religion that he vowed to wipe out the new sect revolving around a professed Jewish Rabbi that the Romans had crucified recently. Backed by the authority of Chief priests and religious teachers, Saul led a murderous gang of Jews who hunted down, imprisoned, and killed the followers of Jesus.

Saul was the worst enemy of Christians until the day God’s grace caught up with him on the Damascus Highway. On that day, the journey from persecutor to defender of Christianity began in earnest. It did not take long before Paul became the most-wanted criminal by the same Jewish leaders that had supported his brutal campaign against Christians.

I am the Chief of Sinners

Even after he became a mighty preacher of the gospel, Paul never forgot how undeserving He was of the love God had showered on him. He stated, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.” (1 Timothy 1:15).

We will never appreciate how generous and powerful the grace of God is until we realize how sinful, helpless, and hopeless we are without Him. The moment you admit you are the foremost sinner, you will be grateful to God for loving and forgiving you. It is for sinners like you that the Son of God gave His life on the cross of Calvary.

O, the Depths of God’s Grace!

O, the depths of God’s grace! Only by God’s unmerited favour are you an heir of eternal life. That grace can wash away your sins if you ask God to come into your life, forgive you, and create a new heart for you. No matter how sinful you are or how tainted reputation your reputation is in society, you can transition from being a sinner to a saint and live to testify about it like Paul.

Prayer
Dear Jesus, I am forever indebted to You amazing grace, which located me, the chief of sinners, and offered me eternal life.