13 I [Paul] was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man; yet because I had acted in ignorance and unbelief, I was shown mercy.

14 And the grace of our Lord overflowed to me, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

15 This is a trustworthy saying, worthy of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst.

16 But for this very reason I was shown mercy, so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His perfect patience as an example to those who would believe in Him for eternal life.

— 1 Timothy 1:13-16

9 For I am the least of the apostles and am 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 to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

— 1 Corinthians 15:9-10

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

The apostle Paul knew better than anyone the life-changing power of God‘s grace. In Romans 5:8 he writes: “But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” This profound statement is at the center of Paul’s teaching on grace. God‘s grace is not something we earn. It is His free gift. It’s a gift that once received changes everything about our lives. The word grace means unmarried favor. It’s God‘s kindness, His willingness, to forgive and restore us not because of anything we’ve done, but because of who He is.

Imagine standing guilty in a courtroom, expecting punishment, but only see the judge step down and take your place, paying your penalty for you! That’s what Paul is describing through Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross, we received the forgiveness we could never earn on our own. Grace isn’t just a pass on punishment. It’s an invitation into a whole new way of Life. Paul tells us that through Christ we’ve not only been forgiven. We’ve been also redeemed and brought back to God the Father.