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Daily Devotions

Ephesians

Ephesians 
Day 
Day 128

"If indeed you have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which was given to me for you."

Text: Ephesians 3:2

ETCHED INTO PAUL’S MEMORY

God had given to Paul a special and vital dispensation (“oikonomia”). The ministry of preaching to the Gentiles was especially entrusted to him. This dispensation was most firmly etched in Paul’s mind. Time and again, he would make reference to this stewardship in his other epistles. One of the most significant references may be found in the epistle to the Galatians.

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my
mother’s womb and called me through His grace,
to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him
among the Gentiles…”
GALATIANS 1:15-16

1. In the good pleasure of God’s will

Paul traced the dispensation of the grace of God to the good pleasure of His will. God in His profound wisdom had chosen Paul to be that special steward of His, to proclaim the Gospel to Gentiles.

2. God’s choice

It is not an uncommon practice to speak of being “called” from birth. A similar idea was explained and applied to Jeremiah the prophet.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you;
Before you were born I sanctified you;
I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
JEREMIAH 1:5

Both Jeremiah and Paul, though they lived in totally different eras, would be able to testify of the humbling reality of God’s sovereign choice to be servants of His.

3. Personal experience of God’s grace in salvation

In order to proclaim the Gospel of grace, Paul had to personally experience grace in the salvation that was given to him. In his pastoral letter to Timothy, he wrote about his experience of God’s grace.

“According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God
which was committed to my trust.
And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me,
because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry
although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor,
and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it
ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was
exceedingly abundant, with faith and love
which are in Christ Jesus.”
1 TIMOTHY 1:11-14

a) Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).
b) Jesus then commissioned him to preach the Gospel among the Gentiles.
c) Few could preach with as much conviction about the grace of God as Paul did.

He extolled the “grace of the Lord” as “exceedingly abundant” from a deep personal experience.