Verses 1-2 “‘When I think of all this, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus for the benefit of you Gentiles . . . assuming, by the way, that you know God gave me the special responsibility of extending his grace to you Gentiles.'” (NLT) Paul is telling the Gentiles that the reason he has been persecuted and wearing chains in prison is because of his calling to be an ambassador of Jesus- a leader who stood for Jesus. He has endured these persecutions so that he can share this good news about Jesus to all the Gentiles. He wanted to let them all know that they are accepted in the eyes of God because of what Jesus did. They are no longer left out of God’s Kingdom because they aren’t good enough or chosen. Jesus covered all sin. All are now invited to come into a relationship with God.

Verses 3-4 “‘As I briefly wrote earlier, God himself revealed his mysterious plan to me. As you read what I have written, you will understand my insight into this plan regarding Christ.'” (NLT) This plan that the Gentiles are now fellow heirs into the Kingdom of God with the Jews. Everyone has the same inheritance. The same grace. Verse 6 goes on to explain.

Verses 7-10 “‘By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning. God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.'” (NLT)

Paul acknowledges that he has been called to serve Jesus by sharing the Good News, not because of anything good in Paul. He was appointed by God simply because of God’s kindness and grace. This is so good to me because everything that is good in us is because of God‘s own goodness. It’s not because we tried hard enough or we have the strength to keep it up. It is God’s grace working in our hearts to get rid of all the bad and nasty parts of us. His work in us helps us make good decisions. His love and kindness go to work on our hearts and reveal themselves through us. We show kindness when we have been around kindness. We show love when we have experienced love. When we come to God, we expose our sinful nature to Him, and He shines His light on us – opening our eyes to all of who He is (through scripture and just by being in prayer in His presence). When we see or experience his joy, goodness, love, kindness, peace, patience, faithfulness, gentleness, it helps us reflect that in our lives. So you see it’s not anything that we are doing to become good. It is all Jesus revealing himself to us and changing us by the power of who He is.

One more thing I want to say about this verse. God is continually working to raise up people who are considered low in the eyes of human beings. Think about when Jesus came to earth. He came as a baby. At the time, everyone was saying, how could this be our savior… he is just a little baby. And then 30+ years later just before He went to the cross, Jesus comes riding through the town on a donkey. Again, people are expecting some soldier with lots of armor on a horse and looking distinguished. God wants to receive the glory in all things. Unfortunately, when people look strong and distinguished, it leaves little room for people to see God‘s work in that. But when someone doesn’t lock the part and they produce something great out of nothing, it shows God‘s power through them. And that brings glory to God. There are so many stories about that in the Bible. One story is David and Goliath. A story about a little boy who defeats a giant that no one else in town was brave enough to do. That’s God showing off His power for His glory in a little boy!

Our humility and acknowledgment of God’s grace and power in our lives allow Him to receive the glory and be recognized and raised up in the eyes of men. There is no amount of personal worth or power that can do what God can do. Paul is very sincere in admitting his unworthiness. But acknowledging his own worthlessness did not prevent him from being chosen by God to go out and preach to people.

Verse 12 “’Because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God’s presence.'” (NLT) When we have faith that Jesus is going to come through for us and that we cannot lose with Jesus on our side, this faith produces confidence in all the things we do for Him. And this confidence that Jesus paved the way, He is not going to let us down and we cannot lose with Him, produces boldness in all things. Boldness in our requests to God. Boldness in the things we say or do. In the strength and power of Jesus, we can make some bold moves. We might show up at church. We might share a Bible verse with someone. We might pray with someone. Situations that were once scary or intimidating to speak up or to act in, can now be met with faith that produces confidence that gives us boldness. What a great verse to keep handy!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace for me. For opening up Your kingdom to all of us and making it possible through Jesus. I don’t have to work at a sacrifice big enough to cover my sins. You did that for me. Father, help me to offer Your grace to others in my life, that I may live with a hand extending forgiveness to those who hurt my feelings. Open my eyes to serve You, knowing I don’t serve You in my own strength but by Your Holy Spirit living inside me. Reframe my thoughts so I’m not dreading sharing Your Word with others, but to consider this a privilege, like Paul. I am chosen by You to share Your gospel story with those who need a relationship with You, God. Equip me and strengthen me to live according to Your Word that my actions may speak louder than my words to those around me – my neighbors, my family, my friends, and the community. You intended to use me, a part of Your Church, to display Your wisdom and grace in this world. Though I am unworthy of Your grace, I am so thankful for Your unfailing love and forgiveness. I come to You boldly and confidently with all of me bringing these requests. Help me to live boldly and confidently for You, Jesus. In Jesus’ name, Amen.