By the grace of God.

1 Corinthians 15:9-11, For I am the least of the apostles, who am not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

Many people see God as depicted in a Gary Larson cartoon, watching a man closely with his finger over the “SMITE” button. If that were true, Paul would surely have been smitten! He presided over the stoning of Stephen, the first martyr for Christ, and was in hot pursuit of those who fled Jerusalem to Damascus with orders to capture or kill anyone who claimed Jesus Christ as Lord. When we come to Him and accept His perfect sacrifice, He sees us not as we have been, not as we are and not as we should be; He sees Jesus.

Thank You that by Your amazing grace we are what we are and we can come boldly before Your throne of grace to receive mercy in our time of need. Empower me bring Your good news to others today!