Servings Per Verse: Unknown
To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
*ETS:
Talk about grace, God has allowed me, Paul, the least of the apostles and saints, the privilege of sharing the unsearchable riches of Christ with Gentiles. He has also granted me the honor of announcing things that have been hidden from the ages -awesome things concerning Christ and the church - things that will reveal God's wisdom to all spiritual beings in the entire spiritual realm.
*DTFTD:
How does God announce his revelations to the world? He chose to announce the birth of Christ through shepherds who were watching their flocks by night Luke 2:8-15). He chose to announce his thoughts on the value of our contributions by focusing on a woman with two mites (the smallest of coins in Palestine, worth about one-eighth of a cent. Luke 21:1-4). He chose to express his compassion by raising a young man from a coffin (Luke 7:1). He chose to manifest his power over demons by responding to a Syro-Phoenician woman who referred to herself as a little dog (a pet of the house. Mark 7:24-30). He exposed his attitude toward Sabbath restrictions and regulations by touching a woman bent over in body, (i.e., unable to stand erect -Luke 13:10-17). He chose to amplify his dissatisfaction with the carelessness of the teachers of the law by healing a man with dropsy (a condition of fluid retention caused by liver or kidney disease - Luke 14:1-6). Who are all these people? What were their names? What did they do with their lives after their encounter with Christ? We do not know, but we do know that Paul considered himself the least in the ranks of all who were used to make announcements of God's truth. He thought himself the least of all saints, yet God chose Paul to announce the most glorious news of all - the world impacting power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! The secret that had been hidden from the ages was Jesus Christ and his power in the church. The secret is out, and God wants to add you to list of vessels used to announce the glory of God!
*EDS:
A SHORT LIST OF THOSE USED TO ANNOUNCE GOD'S REVELATION: Shepherds watching their flocks by night; a woman with two mites; a young man from a coffin; a Syro-Phoenician woman; a woman bent over in body; a man with dropsy; Paul; and now...YOU.
INGREDIENTS: God's choice of servants used to reveal His secrets .Word Study: "yes, on me, the very least of all His people this unmerited favor was bestowed - that I might preach as good news to the heathen the boundless riches of Christ, and to make clear how is to be carried out the trusteeship of this secret which has for ages been hidden away in God, the Creator of all things, so that the many phases of God's wisdom may now through the church be made known to the rulers and authorities in heaven." - Williams Translation.
*ESV- English Standard Version; ETS- Essence of the Text in a Sentence; DTFTD- Devotional Thought For The Day; EDS- Essence of the Devotional in a Sentence.
