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 But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

10 That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

15a And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself.

— 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; 15a

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and love from Christ to you.

Quite often, we hold onto shame, regret, or a sense of unworthiness even after coming to Christ, but Paul’s message in Romans reminds us that grace means a fresh start. It means that our past doesn’t define us because Jesus’s death and resurrection has secured our redemption and because of this we can live as people who are fully accepted, fully forgiven, and fully loved by God.

For Paul, this message of grace and redemption was personal. He had once been a man driven by pride, zeal, and a harsh legalism that led him to persecute Christians. But when he encountered Christ, he experienced the grace that changed everything. Paul didn’t just preach Grace . He lived it. He understood that God‘s love had reached into the darkest parts of his life, redeeming him from hatred and transforming him into an apostle of love. In a way Paul’s life is a living testimony of the power of grace, a message to us that no one is beyond God‘s reach.