Devotional Guide, Today’s Reading – Saturday, September 10, 2022

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Theme: SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Text: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” – 1 Corinthians 15:9, 10.

Comment: St. Paul never shied away from talking of his horrid past in which he persecuted the Church. He wrote, “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.” (1 Timothy 1:15, 16) But he never continued to wallow in self-pity; rather he moved on. In the text for today, he speaks with satisfaction about his labours in the Lord, stating that he had worked more than the other apostles by the grace of God. As Christians we must learn from past mistakes and forge ahead. Inferiority complex makes people to limit their potentials and to set a bar on what they could do in life. God has given each person his proper gift and will use him to the extent he submits himself to be used by the Creator.  (1 Corinthians 7:7) When Samuel the prophet told Saul that he was the one chosen to be king of Israel, his reply was, “…Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” – 1 Samuel 9:20, 21.