What You See Is What You Get

-May 20, 2023-

Good morning, happy Saturday,

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

(1 Corinthians 15:10).

Paul was a very humble man and servant of Christ. Before he was saved, he persecuted the church and thus persecuted Jesus. He repented of his sins and believed in Jesus as His Lord and Savior. He never forgot his past, but understood he was forgiven and his past was all under the blood. Three times in our verse Paul uses the word grace. He was keenly aware that he was saved by grace, kept by grace, and was lived by grace.

Paul referred to himself as the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15); less that the least of all saints (Ephesians 3:8); and the least of the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:9). He knew that he owed everything to the Lord. He fully relied on Christ. He simply says, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” In other words, “What you see is what you get.” According to the Cambridge on line dictionary this expression is defined as, “said to show that there is nothing hidden.”

Paul was honest, sincere, open, and transparent. He didn’t compare himself to others or try to be someone he wasn’t. He spoke the truth and lived the truth. Does this describe you? Are you a man pleaser or a God pleaser? Paul knew he wasn’t perfect, he had a lot of room for growth, and at times he failed, made mistakes. But he could say, “I am what I am.” He strove to please the Lord and serve Him, to preach the gospel and win souls to Christ.

May the Lord help to be who we are and all we can be. Have a blessed day by the grace of God. Stay safe and healthy.

By the grace of God,

Dean