During my sophomore year in High School, I worked in a large grocery store. After spending a week outside fetching grocery carts, I was promoted to mopping floors on the inside. A few weeks later I catapulted to the next level, that of being a display clerk. My job was to build captivating displays at the end of each aisle. Customers who came in just for milk and bread would often be drawn to one of the displays and end up purchasing one of the featured items.
God specializes in displaying His grace by featuring His children. One of God’s featured converts was Saul who became Paul. God intersected Saul’s path on the road to Damascus and transformed his life. Saul became Paul and was transformed from being a persecutor of the church to a preacher of the Gospel. He was transformed from a murderer to a minister.
Later in Paul’s life, he writes to one of his young sons in the ministry, Timothy, to describe how God specializes in placing His children on the display of His transforming grace.
“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners–of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1 Tim 1:15-16 (NIV)
Wow! God is so good!
Now take a look at another reality of our being rightly related to God in Christ. “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.” Eph 2:6-7 (NIV)
God will display what He transforms. God will show off those who have experienced His grace expressed in His kindness to them in Christ.
Will you allow His grace and kindness expressed to you be put on display this week? Are you willing to start viewing others through the lens of God’s tenderness and patience He extends to you?
Pursuing God,
Stephen Trammell
Executive Pastor
(This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.)
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