THE GRACE OF GOD CHANGES US

The apostle Paul is the champion of the teaching of grace in the Bible because he understood it through His experience. He used to persecute the Christians before He became a follower of our Lord Jesus. He was so dedicated to defending the religion of Judaism (the religion of the Jews) that He put many Christians to jail and even approved the killing of Stephen (Acts 7:54-60). He was on His way to Damascus in Syria to destroy the Christians there, but it was on His way there that He encountered Jesus. Jesus showed Himself to Him, and since then, His life was changed (Acts 9). God forgave Paul of all the sins that He had committed and changed him into a new person. If anything, Paul deserved to be punished because of all the Christians that He had destroyed. However, instead of receiving the punishment of God, He received forgiveness because of the grace or divine favor that God lavished on Him. Paul said these words after God forgave Him and changed him into a new person, "But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out his special favor on me—and not without results. For I have worked harder than any of the other apostles; yet it was not I but God who was working through me by his grace (1 Corinthians 15:10)."

Paul is one of the examples to show that God is the only one who can change our hearts and lives. We cannot change our hearts because only God can do it. The more we try to change our lives with our own effort, the more we fail. God has to change our hearts and begin a good work in us in order for us to become a new person. And this is the reason we need to come and believe in our Lord Jesus first before we become a new person. God is the only one who can change a hateful, selfish, prideful, and deceitful person into a loving and caring person. God is the only one who can change an alcoholic, an atheist, a lover of money, a drug addict, and a sexual addict into a new person. The grace of God transforms us, demonstrating His kindness toward us. God forgives all of our sins because of His grace, and He transforms us into a new person because of His grace.

We need to thank and praise God because of His grace in our lives. We are forgiven and being changed by His power that is at work within us because of His grace. Praise the Lord for His grace!

Questions for application: (Think through these questions carefully, meditate on them while answering them, and let the Spirit of God speak to you.) Can I change my own heart to become a good person? Who is the only one who can forgive my sins and change my life? How does God demonstrate His grace in my life every day? 

Take a moment to write down all your worries today. Then, lift them to God in prayer, surrendering them to His will and trusting in His guidance.

Prayer:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for forgiving all my sins and constantly changing me to be the person that you want me to be. I am what I am today because of your grace. Thank you for your grace. In your name, Jesus, I pray. Amen.