…according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me……though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given…
Paul is not the person that anyone would have expected for God to choose to be the primary communicator of the gospel to the Gentiles and to future generations through the letters he wrote.
Paul certainly didn’t feel like he was worthy of that distinction. He knew how completely he had failed God in the past. In fact, Paul is so sure of his unworthiness that he once again creates a new word to express that idea. When he writes that he is the “very least” of all God’s saints, he uses a compound word that emphasizes his unworthiness. Literally, it would be translated something like “leastest”. The NIV translation says “less than the least” . As Paul shared in his letter to Timothy, he had once been a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man – not the kind of person we would expect for God to use in such a mighty way. But, God, completely apart from any merit on Paul’s part, gifted Paul with His grace in order to overcome those past failures.
I think that there are a lot of us who are paralyzed by our past failures, especially when it comes to being a minister for God. We know just how much we have failed God. We’ve turned away from Him, maybe even made fun of Him or persecuted His people. But the great thing about God’s grace is that it is more than sufficient to overcome those failures.
God’s grace effectively burns up all our past mistakes so we can start anew. That’s why Paul could write these words in another one of his letters:
“…But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14 (NIV)
No matter what you have done in the past, no matter how bad you may have failed God, He gifts you with His grace so that you can be effective in the unique ministry that he had given to you. You are loved!
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