I read where Paul referred to himself as the least of all the apostles and didn’t even deserve to be called an apostle because . . . He had a good reason, and I will get to it, but what really struck me is when I reworded the verse. I am the least of all Christians and do not even deserve to be called a Christian because . . .
Like Paul, I didn’t have trouble coming up with my ‘because’. For Paul, “I persecuted the church of God.” For me, my problem was not that blatant. I was just inconsistent. For 30 years I was up and down – hot and cold.
I recently read a book that closed with this quote:
“There are two mistakes one can make along the road to truth,
not going all the way, and not starting.”
Paul hadn’t started; but me, I stopped short of going all the way. Both miss the mark. But in 30 years I never quit trying. I might have fell 100 times, but I got up 101. God could have justly walked away. He could’ve with Paul. I like the line Paul adds after saying why he didn’t deserved to be called an apostle.
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect.” God could have left Paul in his lostness. He could have left me to hobble the rest of my Christian life. But He didn’t. He allowed me to get up that 101st time and that gracious gesture was not without effect.
The effect on Paul was that he worked as hard for God as he had worked against Him. “What he learned he preached”. In an effort to persuade others to believe the same truth he had come to believe, he worked. Seven years later, I am working. That is the effect. What I’ve learned, I use to persuade others.
Hunger and Thirst 
I was just thinking last night that it had been a bit since I have seen a post from you and BOOM…you come with one and it’s so applicable to us all. Can you imagine a world in which every follower of Christ preached what they had learned? Along with that…if we all practiced what we preached? Thanks for the inspirational post.
Yeh, it’s been a combination of my site not working right , me being busy with some writing/ministry projects and a little bit of wrestling with whether or not my time spent here is really worth it. Still haven’t completely settled the question, but as you can see, I’m here. All that being said, I do appreciate your comment.
This is such a solid encouragement. “He allowed me to get up that 101st time . . .” There were so many times that I’ve felt sure I had gotten off track and was making a mess of things. His answer always came to keep trying. So thankful that you kept trying! God bless you, Mike, as you persuade others with what you learned.
ps. No major seizures this month. 🙂 First time without any for a long time.
Glad to hear it. I still pray about it from time to time. I remind the Lord my faith is small, but one wheelbarrow at a time, I do my part to move the mountain.
It’s amazing how gracious the Lord is with all of us. But I like what many people have stated: “It’s not how we start a race, but rather, it’s how we finish it.”
It won’t be hard for me to finish better than I started. I feel like I’ve just recently got off crutches.
Great message, Mike! Every time you fall and then get back up, you trust your God a little more. The power of Christ in you grows a little more. Then one day you say with all the faith that is in you that , ” I will not let the wind and waves of trouble take me under. I am going to continue walking on top of this water until Christ takes me home!”
I read your piece the other day; I think it was called ‘Waiting in the Darkness’. I didn’t have much time so I didn’t comment, but it was both good and sad at the same time. Last night as I was drifting off to sleep, a thought came to mind that ended up waking me up a little. ‘I’m tired of the wreckage’. Before I fell asleep, I had this worked out:
I’m tired of the wreckage Lord;
too many going down.
Put me in the battle Lord;
let the lost be found.
Working with the guys in jail, I see them get close to God while they’re in jail, but then go back to their old ways when they get out. A guy that I do that with, his son actually went in for 30 days. He drank a lot; it was a serious problem and he knew it. Being in jail helped him. He commented a couple of times that he couldn’t believe how he had let it mess up his life and that he felt so much better. When he got out, he did good for awhile. I found out last week that he was drinking again. And so I am really tired of the wreckage.
Thanks for stopping by. Always enjoy reading what you write.
Hi Mike, I liked your poem. I know what you mean about the guys in the jail. I teach the women at the county jail and I have two death-row guys that I go see and and just talk about Scripture. The one guy told me how sad it was that he had to come to death row in order to find life with Christ!
The majority of those in jail have either a drinking or drug problem or both. I pray over all of them. I give them the truth of Christ and only Christ. I practically cry every time I teach those in the jail because I know that most of them will go back to their old life style. They have become comfortable in the bondage that they live. It is a hard ministry so I know what you are talking about.
I had no idea when I read that a few days ago, that God was getting ready to use it to show me something even cooler than I first thought. At first I thought it was cool to see ‘me’ in it. Paul didn’t deserve because . . . I didn’t deserve because . . . I know a lot more about what ‘up and down’ and ‘hot and cold’ really mean. And then the effect of His grace in light of all I know.
That really was cool and I thought when I wrote and posted the story, that that was it. But the day after I posted it, I got a call to go with a guy to prison. I’ve been involved in a ‘jail’ ministry for about a year, but this was prison. Super Max level 5. Everyone there will likely spend the rest of their life there.
So I walk in a room with about 30 guys in it; each one there for life. One of them prayed to start the evening. It was one of the coolest prayers I’ve heard for awhile. They were as nice as they could be. It was hard to imagine they had done what they were there for doing.
About half way through the time, it hit me. Talking about not deserving . . . and yet even to them . . . grace. And the effect . . . can’t describe it.
Mike . . .I love seeing Him working like this. When He gives you something to write or share otherwise about, then turns up the volume on it all, so to speak. Very impacting. So blessed and I wasn’t even there.
Thank you!
There’s a lot of things that influence us to one degree or another. But every now and then something big comes along that has a profound impact. It’s a game changer. This was definitely one of the big ones.
I read another line today that is fitting.
Mercy welcomed the prodigal back home. Grace threw him a feast.
Max Lucado
Your comments to our comments are like several more posts! Thank you! I really like this by Max Lucado! 🙂
It feels a little more like a real conversation. I like it. Glad you liked the quote.
I love Paul. If the Lord loves and forgives Paul, then it gives me hope we all have a shot. It twas Amazing grace saved a Wretch like me!!