We are beginning a study on God’s Grace and we begin with Acts 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” (NASB) The World English Bible says, “But these things don’t count; nor do I hold my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to fully testify to the Good News of the grace of God.” The Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem and he was uncertain what would happen to him. The Jewish leaders of the synagogue were seeking to end his life because he was preaching that Jesus was the Messiah and the way to salvation. So, at this point, he knew there was a great possibility that his life would end.
Paul talks about running the race with joy and with a purpose. His purpose was to testify to God’s grace. To understand what he was preaching, we need to understand what grace is. Simply put, grace is unmerited favor. We receive good when we don’t deserve it. The Bible says that “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23 KJV) It also says that there is a penalty for our sin. (Romans 6:23) God’s grace extends to us in that what we deserve is death, but God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the penalty for our sin so that we would not have to pay that penalty. That’s GRACE!
This life we live is, as Paul puts it, a race. The goal is to run in a way that gives glory and honor to God, ministering to a lost and dying world, telling them of Jesus’ love and sacrifice, and finishing that race with honor so that we can hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” (Matthew 25:21)
God gives us grace every day. Because we are human and we sin, God extends His grace to us when we repent and ask for His forgiveness. The thing is, often we fail to give grace to ourselves. I’m somewhat of a perfectionist to some extent. I notice it more when I’m doing my Bible Journaling or writing. I tend to be detail-oriented and when I mess something up, I get angry with myself. If you hear me mumbling to myself, it’s usually because I’m saying, “Dummy, what did you do that for?” I guess I’m way harder on myself than God is. He recognizes that I’m going to make mistakes and sin, and yet I am not condemned or given harsh treatment. Like a loving Father, He says, “Ok, you messed up. Pick yourself up and try again until you get it right. It’s not the end of the world.”
This is the message the Apostle Paul was tasked with delivering. That was his ministry. God places each one of us on this earth for a purpose. We each have a ministry. It may not be an organized ministry such as a church, Christian broadcasting station, etc. But each one of us has a ministry, and God’s grace is the basis for what we do for Jesus. It is the foundation of our salvation. John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (KJV) We can build a strong foundation for our life because of God’s grace. 1 Corinthians 3:10 says, “According to the grace of God which was given to me, like a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building on it. But each man must be careful how he builds on it.” (NASB) That ties into the idea of running a race and running it well. As we build upon that foundation of God’s grace, we allow that grace from God to flow out to others as well by telling them about how much Jesus loves them, exhibiting God-honoring behavior and speech, and by loving them as God loves them.
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