Derek Smith
Lead Pastor
1 Corinthians 15:10
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.
The story is told that one time Billy Graham got a speeding ticket as he was driving through a small southern town. Later Graham had to appear in court, and the judge asked, “Guilty, or not guilty?” Graham pleaded guilty, to which the judge replied, “That’ll be ten dollars — a dollar for every mile you went over the limit.” Suddenly the judge recognized who he was. “You have violated the law,” he said. “The fine must be paid–but I am going to pay it for you.” He took a ten dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner! “That,” said Billy Graham, “is how God treats repentant sinners!”
Thank the Lord for grace! We are all guilty of the crimes of sin, but when we repent of our sin and place faith in Christ our debt is paid and we are declared no longer guilty because of His sacrifice! We are justified, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to our spiritual account, and we are brought into a gracious loving relationship with the Father! Oh, how amazing is grace! It is this grace that motivates us to pray, worship, serve, give, and make disciples. As Paul says here to the church at Corinth, he desired to work hard in the ministry because of this grace. What about you? Are you overwhelmed by the grace that God has bestowed on your life to such an extent that every day is an opportunity to show the Lord and others how grateful you really are? Grace means we don’t have to earn God’s favor, but the promise of God’s favor is what drives us to serve Him. Church, let’s respond to grace. It is that grace that serves as the supreme inspiration for our commitment to Christ and His mission.