Grace is a result of the resurrection of Jesus. The Apostle Paul confirmed this in the greatest chapter in the Bible on the subject of the resurrection – First Corinthians 15.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 (NKJV)
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy 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; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
First, the Apostle Paul considered himself the least of the apostles because he persecuted the church of God – the very thing the Corinthians were experiencing that made them doubt the resurrection.
Second, the Apostle Paul had a supernatural experience with Jesus on the Damascus Road (as recorded in Acts chapter 9). There is no other explanation for the phenomenon of Paul’s radically changed life.
Third, when any person has a supernatural experience with Jesus, they receive the gift of God’s grace. God’s grace includes God’s favor and blessing, which are both needed to succeed in life.
In these verses, Paul is talking about grace as an empowerment. This empowerment equates to God working in you and through you. Question: Did you ever try to do something and it seemed like you did everything right, but you still didn’t get the results you wanted? Did you ever hear a motivational speaker tell you that if you followed exactly what someone successful did, you would have that same success? And then you did it and followed it, but the success you hoped for never happened? The missing ingredient in those scenarios is the grace of God – God’s favor and blessing.
Here’s how you can achieve lasting success. These principles are revealed by the Apostle Paul in our Success Scripture this week. First, remain humble, knowing that your accomplishments are the result of the talents, gifts, skills, and abilities that God has blessed you with. Next, recognize God’s work in you by maintaining God’s perspective on who you are in Christ, and finally, acknowledge God’s grace as you develop your full potential. Paul attributed his success to the grace of God, and you too can achieve much more as you rely on the grace of God for your empowerment. The grace of God is the empowerment you need to succeed in life!