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This morning we continue our series, “Grace that is Simply Amazing” by continuing to teach on the fact that “God’s Grace is Sufficient.” I taught from 2 Corinthians 12:1-6 yesterday and I fell led to draw a few more nuggets from this passage this morning.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know-only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell. That experience is worth boasting about, but I’m not going to do it. I will boast only about my weaknesses. If I wanted to boast, I would be no fool in doing so, because I would be telling the truth. But I won’t do it, because I don’t want anyone to give me credit beyond what they can see in my life or hear in my message” (2 Cor 12: 1-6 NLT).
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God will allow you to experience things, by His grace, that will prepare you for your life’s assignment. Paul was used supernaturally, therefore he needed to have supernatural experiences with God. God allowed Paul to experience heaven, even while he was still alive in the earth, in order to help shape his writings and ministry. Paul is not the only human to have visited heaven and come back to talk about it. You may not get that experience, but you can rest assured that God will allow you to experience, what you need to experience, in order to maximize your purpose and potential in the earth. But when you do, just remember that God gave you the experiences by His grace, not because you earned them.
2. Boast in the fact that you ‘got to’ experience it, not that you earned it. Paul did not boast in the fact that he was selected to go to heaven, he boasted in the fact that he wasn’t worthy of the trip. Paul was just happy that he ‘got to’ experience it. Learn from Paul. Like Paul I don’t credit for writing Today’s Word every day, or for the fact that God allows me to preach His Word to the world. I am just thankful that I ‘get to’ do it. So no matter what you are called to do, just be thankful that you GET TO do it. God could have selected anyone, but He CHOSE YOU!
3. When you know you didn’t earn it, you acknowledge and appreciate God’s grace. When Paul was talking about his trip to heaven and he said, “I will boast only about my weaknesses,” he was acknowledging the fact that he had not earned the trip. Similarly, I often think about my assignment in life, and the awesomeness of it. Honestly, sometimes I can’t do anything but weep, because I know I don’t deserve it, and I know I surely haven’t earned it. But God, who is rich in mercy, calls us by His grace, not our merit.
4. The secret is acknowledging the fact that you don’t deserve it. Paul had the perspective he did because he knew all the bad things he had done in life before coming to Jesus, and all the mistakes he had made even after being Born-Again. The message of grace changed Paul, it has changed me, and my prayer is that it also changes you. Please embrace the amazing freedom from your failures, forgiveness for your past, and excitement about your future, that is found in God’s grace.
Closing Confession: Father, I thank You for Your amazing grace. The more I learn of Your grace, the more I embrace it and the more it changes my perspective. There was a time when I was plagued by my past. Satan constantly reminded me of all the things I did wrong and he told me I was not worthy of Your best. Satan wanted me to feel like I had disqualified myself from Your assignment for my life. Not only that, but every time I made a mistake, or every time I fell into sin, satan was quick to pounce on me, to drag me into condemnation. There was a time when I fell to his attacks. There was a time when I questioned whether or not I was good enough and if I had wrecked my future because of my past. But Father, the message of Your undeserved grace has changed the way I look at myself and my future. Now I know I am not good enough. Now I know I have not disqualified myself, because You qualified me before the world began. Now I know I can boast, not in my strength, but in my weakness. Now my boast is in You, in Your grace, and in Your commitment towards me. I am not afraid. Fear has no power over me. I resist every inkling of condemnation. I am whom You say I am, I will do what You have called me to do, and I GET TO experience all You bless me to experience, because of Your amazing grace. I enter into this day thankful. I am available to You, to be used of You for Your glory, to reach hearts and minds, to make an impact in the earth, and it is not because I have earned it, it is only because of Your grace. I think about my day, and about every meeting, conversation and activity I will engage in today, and I am excited because I GET TO DO THIS! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper.
