“And now compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”
Acts 20:22-24
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MAY 13, 2025
The Holy Spirit made Paul aware of trouble ahead, yet he was more concerned about completing the task the Lord had given him. Paul’s compulsion was to finish the race. As believers we have the same assignment: testify to the gospel of God’s grace as long as we remain in this life.
Who doesn’t want to receive favor, even if we don’t deserve it? The gospel is an invitation to receive God’s favor. There is nothing we can ever do to deserve His blessing, yet it is offered to us freely.
We have a tendency to think of ourselves as very deserving people. But there is an element of humility in admitting that we can never earn favor from the living God. So God intervened in this world on behalf of sinful humans to give us abundant life, life as the Creator intended it to be lived.
The gospel is a message of goodness. Only a good God would create us, then provide the means for us to be restored into relationship with Himself. The person who comes to Christ has received a generous gift. This grace is freely given, but at the expense of the Giver.
As underserving recipients of grace, we should be motivated to extend grace to others, especially when it does not feel merited. We serve a God of grace. Therefore, we recognize and value grace, which calls us to love our fellow humans with abundant grace.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What compels you in life?
- How could you explain the gospel as a picture of the goodness of God?
- How can our lives demonstrate the grace of God?
Church Reading Plan: Numbers 22; Psalm 62-63