“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” (I Corinthians 15:10 KJV).
From Apostle Paul’s statement, we can conclude that grace can be multiplied or wasted. Paul was an example of a person who had been successfully multiplying grace so that he could become a servant of God that was used by God amazingly.
If Apostle Paul can do it, we can too! For that, there are some principles that we must understand about grace:
1. In the beginning, everyone receives the same amount of grace.
Paul, like any other Christians, received the same amount of grace in the beginning. We all start at the same point, but we often continue and end it at different points.
2. Grace is always started by the Word.
When God wants to give His blessing to someone, He always begins by giving His word to that person. And so was Paul,
And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do (Acts 9:3-6 KJV).
3. Grace is not given in passivity.
Grace is a divine ability that is given because we respond to His Word actively. Paul received the Word and He responded actively. He immediately did according to the Word that he received, that was what caused grace is poured out in his life. Grace is not received in passivity, on the contrary, it’s because of our aggressiveness in responding to His Word.
4. In order grace can be multiplied, we must labour on it.
All that God gives in our lives always have nature: will thrive when they are laboured and will die/in vain if not laboured. Similarly with grace. Grace can not be multiplied if we are passive. Grace is to be laboured, and as much as we labour it, as much as that the grace will multiply.
”And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. … He also that had received two talents came and said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two other talents beside them” (Matthew 25:20, 22 KJV).
Paul also said,
”Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power” (Ephesians 3:7 KJV).
Paul has done his part, now it’s your turn multiplying grace that God has bestowed upon you.
Also read: The Word of Grace.
