In the 1998 movie, Saving Private Ryan, Captain John Miller took his men behind enemy lines to find James Ryan, whose three brothers were recently killed in action. Their mission was to get Ryan out of harm’s way so his family would not lose their only remaining son. The film ended with Captain Miller being mortally wounded. With his last breath, he pulls Private Ryan close to him and whispered the words: “Earn this.” He wanted Ryan to realize the great sacrifice of human lives spent to secure his safety. Therefore, he needed to live a life worthy of such sacrifice.

Before salvation, Paul had been a merciless persecutor of the Jewish Kingdom Church. He had imprisoned both men and women, causing them to be brutally tortured to death unless they would renounce faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Then, the Savior confronted Saul, later known as Paul, with a blinding light and the question of “why” he was persecuting the Lord Jesus through believers. The result of this encounter was that Paul was wonderfully saved. After his salvation, there are two notable things to remember. First, he never forgot the depths of sin from which the Lord Jesus had saved him. He had been a ruthless man who was spiritually dead in false religion. Part of his testimony was as follows: “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (I Corinthians 15:9). An important lesson from Paul’s life is that one should not be paralyzed by a sense of unworthiness because of sin prior to, or even after, salvation. Instead, one should simply allow this reminder to fill us with a deep sense of gratitude for our salvation. Second, Paul said that God’s “…grace which was bestowed upon 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” (I Corinthians 15:10). In other words, Paul realized the supreme sacrifice Christ made on the cross, and chose to live worthy of what Christ had done for him. Thereafter, he lived for the cause of Christ in sincerity, and constant service. God’s grace extended to him was to no extent “in vain.”

May God’s grace to you in no sense be “in vain.” Be certain to live a life that is worthy of the sacrifice Christ made for you!