Ephesians 3:8 Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ,
Paul was now considering himself at the bottom of the Christians'
roll, even though he was an apostle of Christ Jesus. His declaration was not
self-criticism but shows an awareness of his unfitness to speak for God on
earth. This most likely was because he had persecuted and killed so many
Christians before becoming a believer (1 Corinthians 15:9,10; 1 Timothy
1:12-13, 15). Paul not only sees himself as less than the other apostles
but less than Christians without any office. Even though he saw himself in such
a low state, Paul did recognize that it was only through God's grace that he
was allowed to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth.
Any calling that we might have in the ministry is a blessing
given to us by the grace of God. Not one among us deserves to be called to
serve Christ Jesus, and it is simply astounding that God would choose to allow
any of us to be part of his ministry. God owes us nothing, and it is us that is
in a debt to God that we can never repay. Only those with a clear assessment of
how they stand in God's eyes are of any use to God. The only way we can live in
true humility is when we fully comprehend the depth of God's righteousness and
our unworthiness to serve him. Some come to God with insincere humility or
false modesty and are actually proud of their humility, which is the epitome of
an oxymoron. The genuinely humble one will always view themselves as to how God
views them. Every one of us will always fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). All of us
should come to God with an acknowledgment of how unworthy we are to serve him.
This attitude will in no way lessen our value in God's eyes, but it is
fundamental and essential if we are going to be an effective tool in the hands
of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.
Charles Surgeon once said: But while Paul was thus thankful for
his office, his success in it greatly humbled him. The fuller a vessel becomes,
the deeper it sinks in the water. A plenitude of grace is a cure for
pride."
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