But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Acts 20:24 New Living Translation (NLT)
When we believe in and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts. Our new lives begin as a result of our new hearts. We are helped and comforted by the Holy Spirit for we still live in a fallen world, but we are not hidden from exposure to evil. We are strengthened to endure trials and tribulation because we are given a job to do. Encouraged by the commands to love God and each other, we are assigned the task of sharing the Gospel. This is the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Paul went from persecuting those who followed Jesus Christ to leading those who did not believe to follow the way of Jesus Christ. God indeed uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise (1 Corinthians 1:27). Just in case we start to think we are working God's plan on our own, we are reminded in His Word that we are vessels that He will use according to His will. God desires that we surrender to His will for when we do we are pliable and easier to work with. However, Paul's conversion demonstrates that it really doesn't matter whether we are willing to be used by God or not. The power is in His hands. It is God's will that shall be done, not ours.
This life is temporary. We all witness death far too often to even think this party will last forever. God promises us eternal life in His Kingdom because He knows how much we value life. He created us. Yet, He also knows what kind of life He had in mind for us to live when He created us and this is not it. Jesus came down here to show us how to live forever with our Creator. He gave His life to make it possible and He's coming back to make it happen. That's grace because we did nothing to deserve it. That's Good News, friends. Tell somebody!
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