Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things.
Ephesians 3: 7-9 (RSV)
Paul underwent a career change. While he considered himself the least in the field, he did own his calling. This devotion looks at what we can learn from Paul in an unexpected job switch.
Nuggets
- It is by and through God’s grace that we live a full and enriched life.
- We are blessed because Jesus showed His great love for us.
- God gives each of us a job to do in His kingdom.
- We have to step out in faith that God will equip us as He said — even if we feel we are the wrong one for the job.
It can be scary when God calls us to a career change. If it comes out of the blue, we may not feel ready for the change to take place.
One day, Jesus showed up unannounced and changed Paul’s career trajectory. Paul gave us a little hint of what his career change meant. He was very cognizant of that which God was calling him to do.
Career Change
“Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power” (Eph. 3: 7 RSV).
Paul had a definite career change. He was a tent-making Pharisee. Then he became an itinerant missionary for the movement he was trying to stamp out.
In Paul’s mind, there is only one way this happened — the grace of God. Grace is a free and unmerited gift from Heavenly Father given through His Son, Jesus Christ that enables salvation and spiritual healing to believers. Because of God’s infinite grace, He devised the plan of salvation that made Jesus our Redeemer in order to forgive us of our sins.
God continues to give us grace even after conversion. It is by and through His grace that we live a full and enriched life. It is by and through His grace that we minister in His name.
Paul was very aware of this. He knew that God had a plan for His life (Jer. 29: 11). He knew he could talk until he was blue in the face and yet not change anyone’s mind. It is God and His Holy Spirit Who converts us.
Remember Ephesians 2: 8-9? Salvation is a gift from God, not Paul.
Still, Paul had his part in the process. He had to go from town to town. He had to get up in front of the crowd and open his mouth to say God’s words.
Paul had to be obedient to God so He could work through him. And work through him God did — “… by the working of his power” (Eph. 3: 7 RSV).
You see, God doesn’t just leave it up to us to be His witnesses. He goes before (Deut. 31: 8), with (Josh. 1: 9), and behind us (Ex. 14: 19).
The Least
“To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3: 8 RSV).
I think it really hurt Paul sometimes to know he had previously persecuted the church. He had participated in the murder of saints (Ac. 7: 58). But he also knew that God had forgiven him when he confessed his sins.
Every once in a while, though, Paul let this bite on him (I Cor. 15: 9, I Tim. 1: 15). But he also used his experience to encourage others. “Hey, I supported killing saints. If God can save me and use me, He can do the same for you!”
The thing Paul was going for here was the contrast. He had done these horrible things, but God loved Him anyway. He had sinned, but God had devised the plan of salvation while he was a sinner (Rom. 5: 8).
Paul knew he could say this because of the “… unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph. 3: 8 RSV). Yep, Paul’s enthusiasm is starting to take over again.
What Paul did was own his calling. He went from being whole-hog Pharisee to whole-hog missionary. He lived this, ate this, breathed this. His passion for what God was calling him to do was his driving force.
I am sure Paul just thought about the people to whom he was writing. He probably never imagined in a million years that we would still have his letters today — and still be reading them, learning from them, and applying them.
What Paul did know was that, though Christ, we stood to gain unmeasurable benefits — if we believed and repented. Paul knew this because he had experienced it first hand.
So, what are the riches if Christ? Those are the blessings that we receive through Christ.
We are blessed because Jesus showed His great love for us. It was through this love and grace that, even though He is God, He sacrificed Himself so that our pardon could be secured. He also blessed us by teaching us who God the Father is, showing us how we are to live to glorify Him.
The riches of Christ are the forgiveness of our sins. This restores our relationship with God. How rich is being saved from spiritual death?!
When we do the ABCDs, we get the rich gift of His Holy Spirit. It is through the promptings of the Spirit that we are transformed into the disciples God wants us to be.
The ABCDs of Salvation
A – admit our sins
B – believe His Son Jesus is our Redeemer
C – confess God as Sovereign Lord
D – demonstrate that commitment by making any changes needed in our lives to
live the way in which God has called us
If you have not become a believer in Christ, please read through the Plan of Salvation and prayerfully consider what God is asking you to do.
We get the rich grace of strength through which to carry out our work in God’s Plan. He gives us the knowledge and tools to accomplish our tasks.
Do you know the best part? The riches of Christ support us through our lives in this world and prepare us for eternity.
Aren’t these blessings rich?! They are valuable beyond measure. They are riches of happiness and contentment. Joy. Beauty. Goodness. They will be supplied abundantly to us as we need them.
The Unsearchable Mystery
“… the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things” (Eph. 3: 8-9 RSV).
Paul had just talked about the mysteries of Christ. That is what he had called the plan of salvation.
The riches of Christ are unsearchable and God’s plan a mystery because we can’t decipher them through our own understanding. There is no formula that we can calculate, no experiment that we can run, to prove or disprove it.
I know, that is what trips up some people. We can’t hunt up all the clues and deduce that, “Oh, this is the way and the why God did it.”
People sometimes say they won’t believe until they figure it all out. They don’t realize 1) they can’t figure it out, and 2) if they figured it out, it really wouldn’t be belief. It would be knowledge.
Don’t get me wrong. God isn’t against wisdom. In fact, “If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you. God is generous and won’t correct you for asking” (Jas. 1: 5 CEV).
Instead, we are called to faith. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Heb. 11: 1 NASB).
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Prov. 3: 5-6 NKJV). We just have to believe it it God’s grace and mercy.
Sadly, some just shake their heads at the plan of salvation. They think it is just a fairy tale or an exaggeration. It was real to Paul; it is real to me; I hope it is real to you.
Making the Connections
God gives each of us a job to do in His kingdom. It may be in ministry or it may be ministry in our secular job.
It may be scary sometimes, but He also gives us the power to do it. We just have to be faithful and do it.
It is hard for us when God makes sudden changes in our plans. We just have to prayerfully listen to Him and obey.
When we do, we will be rewarded. Yes, some of the blessings will be in this life.
The best of the best will be in the next life. That is when we will really see the riches of Christ.
How Do We Apply This?
We have to faithfully do the job God assigns us. Enthusiastically, even. No matter if He calls us to a different field.
We have to step out in faith that God will equip us as He said — even if we feel we are the wrong one for the job. Remember, God doesn’t make mistakes. He knows how the abilities He has given us and those He is waiting for us to grow.
God wants the best for us. We just have to step up and accept His blessings. Then we have to share the good news with others.
Father God. Your love for us is unmeasurable. Lord, it is a mystery why You would want to redeem a race that so blatantly disobeyed You. But You do. You sent Your Son to be the sacrifice needed to redeem us. Because we admit our sins, believe in Jesus as our Savior and Redeemer, and confess You as our Sovereign Lord, You bestow the riches of Christ on us. Thank You, God. We live for the day that You say, “Welcome home, good and faithful servants.” Amen.
What do you think?
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