Grace Fulfills God’s Purpose in Our Life!

Grace Fulfills God’s Purpose in Our Life!

Apostle Paul attributes the source of his accomplishments and his finished work to God, especially to the grace of God. While God’s calling through Jesus came to him separately from that of the other apostles, he credited that he fully appropriated the grace of God with his labor and diligence, as much and more than the other apostles called before him.

Here is what the apostle said: “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me” (I Corinthians 15:10).

In my understanding of Paul, I see HUMILITY with which he acknowledged the GRACE of God for his calling, his LABOR with DILIGENCE as much as the other apostles functioned. However, they were with Jesus during His years of earthly ministry and fulfilled their CALLING by the GRACE of God!

The Calling of Apostle Paul!

Here are the words of the Lord Jesus to Ananias about the calling of Saul (Paul) when He commissioned him to minister to Saul (of Tarsus): “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:15-16).

Paul’s calling was special by the grace of God that it included his ministry to the Gentiles, as he mentioned it in his letter to the Ephesians: “For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you Gentiles— if indeed you have heard of the dispensation (stewardship) of the grace of God which was given to me for you…of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me by the effective working of His power. To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:1-2, 7-8).

Paul was a chosen vessel with a special calling and equipped with God’s grace to accomplish it!

Our Different Calling by the Grace of God!

Our calling may be diverse: “But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift” (Ephesians 4:7).

Paul instructed that a believer’s service differed by our calling by the grace of God: “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:6-8).

Our Holy Calling by the Stewardship of God’s Grace!

Paul’s writing to Timothy explains that our calling is according to God’s purpose and by His grace: “(God) has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9).

·        God has saved us!

·        God has called us with a HOLY CALLING!

·        Both our salvation and calling are according to God’s own PURPOSE and GRACE!

God’s Purposeful Calling Also Includes Grace for Miracles, Sufferings, and Pains!

Paul’s anointing, sustained by the grace of God, saw signs, wonders, and miracles: “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them” (Acts 19:11-12).

Paul’s office also carried sufferings and pain: “Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?” (II Corinthians 11:22-29).

Paul acknowledged that suffering was part of his calling as an apostle: “I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason, I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day” (II Timothy 1:11-12).

Here is a remarkable lesson for growth in God’s grace. While Paul experienced supernatural visions and dreams as he faithfully walked with Jesus, he also was buffeted by Satan, so that ‘he could not be exalted above measure!’ Here is his own account of the heavenly experience which also brought in buffeting: “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one was caught up to the third heaven…And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet (beat) me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (II Corinthians 12:2, 7-10). Paul did not need the buffeting to humble himself before God, but his testing led him to experience the grace of God in his weak moments! This experience also tells of our growth in grace, which does not fail us in both our glorious moments of experiencing the wonders of heaven as well as the pain and buffeting of Satan.

Fulfilling Our Holy Calling by the Grace of God!

“(God) has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began” (II Timothy 1:9). This is the beginning of our calling!

While our HOLY CALLING with GOD’S PURPOSE takes us through the journey of GROWTH, SIGNS, WONDERS, and CHALLENGES, we FULFILL OUR CALLING BY GOD’S GRACE: “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the CALLED according to His PURPOSE” (Romans 8:28). This is the end of our calling!

With God’s Fulfilling Grace:

1)     WE KNOW – WE KNOW THAT THE GOD WHO HAS CALLED US IS FAITHFUL, AND HE WILL CARRY OUT OUR CALLING WITH OUR SUBMISSION TO HIM.

2)     ALL THINGS – Without exception, all things must work in our favor because God has called us and given us His grace, and we depend more on His grace than on our natural strength. ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE BY HIS GRACE!

3)     WORK – Grace in God's Kingdom is not static but dynamic in the sense that we are continuously increasing in grace. THE MORE WE APPROPRIATE GRACE TO COMPLETE EVERY ASSIGNMENT FROM GOD, THE MORE GOD BESTOWS HIS GRACE. Paul labored more than the other apostles by constantly appropriating the grace of God needed for his calling.

4)     TOGETHER FOR GOOD – When we yield to God’s grace, all things do work together for good – our individual life, our family, and our partners in the ministry. A group of people co-labored with Paul, as he mentions them at the end of each epistle he wrote. Even the bad things turn out to be good ad Joseph told his brethren: “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO EXPERIENCE THE GRACE OF GOD IMMENSELY WITH EVERYONE IN YOUR TEAM (YOUR FAMILY, YOUR PARTNERS, YOUR FRIENDS) UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE YOUR CALLING AND MUTUALLY SUBMIT TO GOD AS YOU YOURSELF HAVE SUBMITTED TO GOD!

5)     LOVE GOD – Along with the abundance of grace comes an increasing appreciation of God’s love for us, and we begin to grow in God’s love.

6)     WHO ARE THE CALLED – This assurance of the stewardship of grace is for ALL WHO ARE CALLED, WITHOUT EXCEPTION!

7)     ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE – Paul’s purpose was to minister effectively to the Jews, Gentiles, and Kings. By the grace of God, Paul was effective to the Jewish audience by the knowledge of the Law of Moses and his own testimony of persecution of them, to the Gentiles through signs and miracles, and to the Kings with his discourse as an intellectual authority as a Roman citizen.

A Very Special Qualification to Increase in God’s Grace!

How do we appropriate this GRACE?

First, recognize that God bestows an equal measure of grace to everyone called: “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3). This proves that God is impartial to gift us with His calling with His grace to complete it!

Second, the grace of God enables us to KNOW the specifics of our calling, as the Apostle Paul announces his calling in each of his letters to various churches: “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God” (Ephesians 1:1). This knowledge keeps us in our office to which God has specifically called us and keep us from encroaching into someone else’s office.

Third, we must work diligently to increase in grace to fulfill our calling. The apostles experienced “great grace,” as we read in Acts 4:33: “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”

The increase of God’s abundant grace upon God’s servant is by:

1)     A servant must know what his Lord knows – They must dedicate themselves to GOD’s WORD!

2)     A servant must know GOD’S WILL for them and stay in their lane, no matter the temptation or lure.

3)     A servant must know GOD’S DESIRE by knowing GOD’S HEART.

4)     A servant must instantly OBEY to carry out God’s demand in GOD’S SERVICE without delay!

5)     A servant must HUMBLE themselves to experience the increase of grace upon their lives: “But He gives more grace. Therefore, He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’” (James 4:6). “Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’ Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time” (I Peter 5:5-6).

God’s Abundant Grace Helps Us FINISH STRONG!

There is an absolute privilege of belonging to the household of faith by the grace of God!

God, by His grace, not only saved us but also called us into His service with a HOLY CALLING!

God’s Calling included GOD’s PURPOSE!

God’s Calling can only be fulfilled by God’s Abundant Grace!

When we yield to God’s Grace, and when we appropriate His grace fully:

All Things Work Together!

They Work Together for Good!

Grace Appreciates the Love of God!

Grace helps us complete God’s PURPOSE task by task, assignment by assignment!

At every accomplishment, we give thanks to God for His grace!

We say, “Not in my strength but in God’s grace, we have accomplished this!”

As we continue to yield to God in our journey to appropriate God’s grace, we will realize and confess, “By the grace of God, I am what I am!”

The HOLY PURPOSE that came with the HOLY CALLING OF GOD is ACCOMPLISHED by GOD’S ABUNDANT GRACE!

Here is a victorious shout of the fulfilling grace at the end of a servant’s life: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (II Timothy 4:7-8).

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You. How great is Your mercy and grace in choosing an unworthy vessel like me to carry out Your purpose to a small, select number of people! Please empower me, Lord, with Your grace, Your abundant grace, to complete my journey in You and finish Your purpose that You have enabled me with. I am nothing without You and Your sovereign grace. Thank You, Lord, for carrying me through to my destination. In the Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”

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John Jeyaseelan

http://www.globalprayercenter.net