The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and
majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him today and what came to my heart and mind in Ephesians 3:2-3,
"Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that
was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by
revelation, as I have already written briefly."
It is fascinating to me to see how God works. Everybody does their
work after their own way, their own pattern, their own method and
strategy. God has his own way of doing things and it is very different
than how many of us might seek to accomplish what we desire.
What I see in Paul's comment here is that God had given Paul an
"administration of God's grace". God gave Paul something. But what he
had given Paul, a Jew, was something God desired to give others: his
grace for those who were most distant from God of all - the Gentiles.
God employed Paul to take his message of grace to those who were
foreigners to the covenant of promise God had made to Israel.
God used the intermediary, Paul. He often uses others when he has
something for someone.
Sometimes we view something from God as for us personally when in
reality he is seeking someone else through us. Peter makes reference
to this when he tells his readers, "Each one should use whatever gift
he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace
in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10. God seeks to touch the lives of
folks by giving gifts through others.
In 1 Corinthians 12:7 we read, "Now to each one the manifestation of
the Spirit is given for the common good." Paul calls these "spiritual
gifts" and tells the Corinthians that they are to be used for the good
of all, in the lives of others around his readers. This has a way of
pulling believers together, giving us purpose in this life by allowing
us to share in the work of his agenda.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!
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Monday, September 18, 2023
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