Verse of the Day 7/15

Verse of the Day 7/15

1 Corinthians 15:10 English Standard Version

10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

The thoughts of "life in the Spirit" and "all things work together for good" along with the life of Joseph in the Old Testament were still on my mind when I read these verses today in a devotional from John Piper, which focused on God's grace.  At the end of verse 10 Paul tells us that the work that he had done was through the power of the Spirit working in him, but notice how he says it, "it was not I, but the grace of God that is "with me".  It is basically the same thing that was written of Joseph in Genesis 39, "but the Lord was with Joseph".

John Piper writes, "I take this to mean that, as Paul faced each day's ministry burden, he bowed his head and confessed that unless future grace was given for that day's work, he would not be able to do it. He recalled the words of Jesus, "Apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5). So he prayed for future grace for the day, and he trusted in the promise that it would come with power. "My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)."

Believers through history have had to depend on the grace of God, day by day.  How else could Joseph have withstood the trials and show the grace that he did to his brothers.  Day by day He gives us the grace to face our trials too.

I'll close with the old hymn "Day By Day and With Each Passing Moment".  It deals with God's past, present and future grace offered to us and what this grace means/does for us.

1 Day by day and with each passing moment,
Strength I find to meet my trials here;
Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,
I've no cause for worry or for fear.
He whose heart is kind beyond all measure
Gives unto each day what he deems best–
Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,
Mingling toil with peace and rest.

2 Ev'ry day the Lord himself is near me,
With a special mercy for each hour;
All my cares he gladly bears and cheers me,
He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.
The protection of his child and treasure
Is a charge that on himself he laid:
"As your days, your strength shall be in measure"–
This the pledge to me he made.

3 Help me then in ev'ry tribulation
So to trust your promises, O Lord,
That I lose not faith's sweet consolation
Offered me within your holy Word.
Help me, Lord, when, toil and trouble meeting,
E'er to take, as from a father's hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land.

Then he acted with all his might.

Mike

Folllow the Verse of the Day blog at http://mikesvotd.blogspot.com

Ephesians 1:7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.  NIV

1 Corinthians 15:3-11

English Standard Version

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy 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 toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.