The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Least of All Saints"
"Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Ephesians 3:8).
The "least of all saints" preached the most immeasurable of all realities.
The Apostle Paul genuinely believed both descriptions. First, He knew that the Lord Jesus Christ exists in a glory so wondrous as never to be fully known and experienced. In contrast, he considered himself as we all should consider ourselves, that is, the most unworthy candidate for God's grace and mercy. Indeed, the better we know our Savior, the more we will realize that whatever measure of mercy others may have received, the Holy Spirit ever directs us to be personally astonished by the forgiveness and goodness of God, bestowed upon ourselves by the most forgiving and generous of Redeemers.
Our Lord provides assurance of salvation to all who believe. "The Spirit Himself beareth witness with our spirits, that we are the children of God" (Romans 8:16). Therefore, we will not be surprised when we enter Heaven by the freely given grace of God in Christ. However, if we could be surprised, the most astonishing of all citizens to find there would be ourselves. We would not come upon some fellow saint and think to ourselves, "Well, my, my! Never thought he'd make it here!" No, just the opposite would be the case. "Why, there's George. He must be stunned to see me on this golden street!" (George would not think this because he would be pondering the same about himself).
The parable of the Pharisee and the publican perfectly and succinctly sums the matter up (Luke 18:10-13). If we perceive anyone else's forgiven debt of sin to be greater than our own, something is amiss in our wayward minds. The indwelling Holy Spirit does not direct our primary focus regarding the need for forgiveness toward others. As He exalts the Lord Jesus and points us to Calvary, the Spirit of God amazes us with the grace of a Savior whose suffering and death wondrously "saved a wretch like me????" Yes, Paul's perceiving himself as "less than the least of all saints" must - and will - grace our hearts as we grow in "the unsearchable riches of Christ" we find ourselves more and more astonished to have received.
"Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner."
(Luke 18:10-13)
Weekly Memory Verse
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
(Psalm 23:6)
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