39 lines
4.4 KiB
HTML
39 lines
4.4 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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Day By Day By Grace
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Bob Hoekstra
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November 23
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<h1>More on Exceedingly Abundant Grace for Transformation</h1>
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<div class="block"><i>And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, <b>although</b> I was <b>formerly</b> a <b>blasphemer</b>, a <b>persecutor</b>, and an <b>insolent</b> man…And the <b>grace</b> of our Lord was <b>exceedingly abundant</b>.</i> (<a onClick="return mV('1Ti', 1, '12-14');">1 Timothy 1:12-14</a>)</div>
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<p>By His bountiful grace, Jesus Christ transformed Saul of Tarsus into the Apostle Paul. The Lord did this by enabling Paul, making him a man of faith, and putting him into ministry. As we consider what Paul was before the Lord began to change his life, we will see even <b>more on exceedingly abundant grace for transformation</b>.</p>
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<p>Before he became a follower of Jesus Christ, Paul engaged in blasphemous behavior. <i>"I was <b>formerly</b> a <b>blasphemer</b>."</i> Through uninformed religious zeal, he said and did much that insulted and opposed the Lord. <i>"Indeed, I myself thought I must do <b>many</b> things <b>contrary</b> to the <b>name</b> of <b>Jesus</b> of Nazareth"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act', 26, '9-9');">Acts 26:9</a>). Part of his sin of blasphemy included trying to force Christians to speak evil of the Lord. <i>"And I punished them often… and <b>compelled</b> them to <b>blaspheme</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act', 26, '11-11');">Acts 26:11</a>).</p>
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<p>Related to this, Paul severely persecuted believers in Jesus Christ before he came to salvation. <i>"I was <b>formerly</b>…a <b>persecutor</b>."</i> He aggressively searched out anyone he could find who followed Jesus, hoping to imprison them. <i>"As for Saul, he made <b>havoc</b> of the church, entering <b>every</b> house, and dragging off <b>men</b> and <b>women</b>, committing them to <b>prison</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act', 8, '3-3');">Acts 8:3</a>). He was so enraged against the followers of Jesus that he even obtained authorization to pursue them into distant cities beyond Israel. <i>"Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the <b>high priest</b> and <b>asked letters</b> from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Act', 9, '1-2');">Acts 9:1-2</a>).</p>
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<p>In light of such brazen aggression, it is no surprise that Paul confesses to being an arrogant man before he was saved. <i>"I was <b>formerly</b>…an <b>insolent</b> man."</i> His religious success clearly led him to a prideful estimation of his own spirituality. <i>"If anyone else thinks he may have <b>confidence</b> in the <b>flesh</b>, I <b>more</b> so: circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Phl', 3, '4-6');">Philippians 3:4-6</a>).</p>
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<p>Nevertheless, all of this misguided religiosity could be <b>transformed</b> by God's bountiful grace. <i>"And the <b>grace</b> of our Lord was <b>exceedingly abundant</b>."</i></p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">Lord Jesus, what marvelous grace this is! What encouraging words these are! Yes, I see that my own disqualifying failures can be turned around by Your exceedingly abundant grace! Transform me Lord, I humbly pray!</div>
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