“And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus. By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving him by spreading this Good News. Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ. I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.”
The idea that Jews and Gentiles would share equally in God’s riches might not sound all that shocking to you, but to early believers it was a lot to wrap their heads around. The Jewish people thought they were an automatic “in” with God. Born in Abraham’s family? You and God are good. Outsiders? We’ve been told to stay away from them.
The problem with this thinking is that they forgot about their hearts. Being born into the right family doesn’t give you special privileges with God. Being willing to receive his grace is all that matters. God chose Paul, a former Christian-killer, to proclaim to the world that no matter who you are or where you’ve been, God is available to you.
Here’s your freedom for today: endless treasures await you. God has so much to give you — grace, riches, a family to belong to. It’s yours, no matter who you are. If you want to be in God’s family, you’re in. No entrance exam. If you have a difficult past or you’ve done some horrible things, Paul gets it. He was the worst of the worst thinking he was the best of the best. All it took was an encounter with Jesus to turn his life upside-down. God can do the same for you.