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Scripture Reading (KJV)

  • 1 Corinthians 15:9–10
    9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
    10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

  • Ephesians 2:8–9
    8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
    9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Devotional

Paul never forgot who he used to be. He persecuted the church. He tore down what he would later give his life to build up. Yet standing on the other side of salvation, he makes a bold confession: “By the grace of God I am what I am.”

Grace saved him, but grace also defined him. It wasn’t just a ticket to heaven; it was the explanation for his entire life. He didn’t say, “By my determination I am what I am,” or “By my religious performance I am what I am.” He put the spotlight squarely on God’s undeserved favor.

Many believers accept that they are “saved by grace,” but they live as if the rest is up to them: their effort, their personality, their background, their abilities. Paul shows a different way. He recognizes both sides: “I laboured more abundantly than they all,” yet“not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” He worked hard, but he knew who was really at work.

If grace is good enough to save you, it is good enough to sustain you and shape you. You don’t deserve salvation, and you don’t deserve to be used by God—and yet, by grace, you are saved, and by grace, God invites you into His work.

Reflection

  • Do I see myself primarily through my failures and past sins, or through God’s grace in Christ?
  • Where have I been tempted to boast in my own effort instead of acknowledging, “Yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me”?

Prayer

Lord, thank Thee for saving me by Thy grace. I confess that I do not deserve to be Thy child or to be used in Thy service. Yet, by Thy grace, I am what I am. Help me to rest in what Christ has done, not in what I can do. Let Thy grace not be in vain in my life. Work in me and through me today, that others might see not me, but Jesus Christ living in me. In His precious name I pray, Amen.

Action

Write down two or three labels you’ve carried (e.g., “failure,” “unworthy,” “not good enough”). Then, next to each one, write: “By the grace of God I am what I am,” and replace those labels with “forgiven,” “accepted,” “child of God.” Keep this someplace visible today.