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Daily Devotions

Ephesians

Ephesians 
Day 
Day 154

"To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."

Text: Ephesians 3:8

TREMENDOUS TRANSFORMATION

What a great change Paul experienced in his life. This change was both intensive and extensive. The phrase, “the least of all the saints” speaks volumes of the transformation that took place.

1. “Saints”

a) A technical term that literally means “holy ones” (Cf. Ephesians 1:1).
b) An affectionate expression of his regard for all believers in Christ.
c) But there was a time when Paul hated Christians with great vehemence.

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church,
entering every house, and dragging off men and women,
committing them to prison.
ACTS 8:3

2. “The least of all the saints”

Paul’s transformation was so deep that it affected his perspective of himself permanently. No matter how mightily he served the Lord, no matter how fruitful he was in ministry, no matter how much he had grown in his personal spiritual stature, he would always regard himself as “the least of all the saints”. The following text well explains why he felt the way he did.

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.
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance,
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
of whom I am chief.
1 TIMOTHY 1:13-15

a) A consciousness of past sinful misdeeds

Paul thought of himself as “chief of sinners”. He could not imagine how anyone else could have been so filled with hatred and wickedness, hauling Christians to jail! To him belonged the infamy of creating havoc to the Church!

b) A grateful awareness of the grace, mercy, and love that were poured into his life

How his sins must have convicted his heart when he realized his errors and his sinfulness! For three days he fasted and prayed! His physical blindness was virtually a symbol of the state of his spiritual blindness (Cf. Acts 9:1-9).

3. “That I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ”

The persecutor of Christians had been so transformed that he had now become a preacher of the Christ he had once persecuted! He spoke of himself as a “pattern (“example”) to those who are going to believe on Him for “everlasting life” (1 Timothy 1:16)