Category: Inspiration

By the Grace of God

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor.15:10).

By the “grace of god I am what I am.” Paul, in defending the resurrection and his apostolic calling, pauses to acknowledge the source of his transformation: grace. This is not a sentimental grace, but a powerful, effectual working of God’s faithfulness that redefined his identity, redirected his zeal, and reoriented his labor.

He does not deny his effort, “I worked harder than all of them,”but he refuses to boast in it. His effort was not the source of his transformation or effectiveness. Instead, he attributes even his striving to the grace that was with him. Grace, then, is not just pardon; it is power. It is not passive; it is productive for the Kingdom of God.

Here we find a verse that can be a mirror for every servant of God who has been rescued from brokenness, pride, or misguided zeal. Paul’s past as a persecutor did not disqualify him, it became the backdrop against which God’s grace shone all the brighter. “I am what I am” is not resignation, it is redemption. “His grace was not without effect” is a challenge to stagnant faith. “Yet not I” is the anthem of the humble laborer in the Lord’s vineyard. 

For those in ministry, especially those carrying wounds, regrets, or a sense of unworthiness, this verse is a lifeline. Grace does not erase our past, it reclaims it. It does not excuse laziness, it empowers holy striving.

In our prayer time, we need to thank Him for that grace that found us, formed us, and continually fuels us. Still, we cannot boast in our labor in light of His grace, as it is only His grace working through us. Then our life and its fruit remain His as we remain ever mindful of His grace working in us. 

How has His grace shaped your identity and calling? Is grace bearing fruit in your life? Or have we received it, and hidden it away?

Today I want to encourage you, especially as you wrestle with a past that would seem to disqualify you, remember, His grace rewrites the story, and changes your character completely.

Maranatha. Shalom. 

Sukkot/Tabernacles: The Fruit of the Goodly Tree

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

We read in the Torah, “You shall take for yourselves on the first day the fruit of splendid trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God for seven days” (Lev. 23:40). 

This is not just agricultural celebration, it is holy rehearsal, choreographing a feast to come. The lulav and etrog are not just symbols; they are instruments of prophetic memory and eschatological longing.

Historically, Sukkot/ סֻכּוֹת recalls the wilderness journey, the fragile shelters (sukkah/ סֻכָּה) that housed Israel under the canopy of divine presence. It is a feast of vulnerability and provision, of wandering and worship. The fruit of the good tree (פְּרִי עֵץ הָדָר), traditionally the etrog (citron, no, not a lemon), represents the heart: fragrant, beautiful, and whole. The palm branch, tall and straight, speaks of the spine in uprightness and victory. Together with the myrtle and willow, they form a fourfold testimony of the human condition and the divine invitation: to rejoice in dependence, to wave in worship, to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty. These elements represent the bouquet of the Body of Messiah, joined together, and brought before Him. 

But Sukkot is not only retrospective, it is prophetic.

We find a final echo of this feast at the end of time, in the Book of Revelation, “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands” (Rev. 7:9). This is the ultimate ingathering, the eschatological fulfillment of the feast. The nations, once scattered, now redeemed and assembled. The palm branches, once waved in Jerusalem, now lifted in the heavenly Zion. The Lamb, once hidden in the wilderness, now enthroned before us.

Here, the lulav (palm branch) becomes a liturgical bridge between Sinai and the New Jerusalem. The waving of branches is no longer just a ritual, it is a declaration: “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Rev. 7:10). The fruit of the good tree is no longer just a symbol, it is the fruit of righteousness borne by those adopted, grafted and reattached to the covenant through Messiah.

Rabbinic tradition teaches that the sukkah represents the Clouds of Glory that surrounded Israel. Apostolic teaching reveals that we now dwell in Messiah, our Emmanuel and our true shelter. Sukkot thus becomes a rehearsal for the wedding feast of the Lamb, where every tribe and tongue will tabernacle in joy (וּשְׂמַחְתֶּם, לִפְנֵי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, Lev. 23:40).

So we wave the lulav not only in remembrance, but in anticipation. We dwell in the sukkah not only to recall the wilderness, but to proclaim the coming Kingdom. We rejoice not only for seven days, but with eternal gladness.

Let us then take up the fruit of the good tree. Let us wave the palm in worship. Let us dwell in the shelter of the Most High. For this feast is not over, it is just beginning.

Maranatha. Shalom. 

 

Commissioned by Grace: A Yom Kippur Devotional

On By Bp. Justin ElwellIn Applied Theology, InspirationLeave a comment

“For on this day He shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you. You shall be clean before the Lord from all your sins” (Lev. 16:30).

Yom Kippur (יוֹם כִּפּוּר), the Day of Atonement, is not a transaction, it is a picture of transformation. In Messianic hope, we do not fast to earn favor, nor do we confess to secure love. We focus on and align our hearts with the One who gave everything: Yeshua, our High Priest, who entered not the earthly Holy of Holies, but the heavenly one, offering His own blood for eternal redemption (Heb. 9:11–12).

Rabbinic tradition teaches that teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה), repentance, is not merely turning from sin, but returning to the Lord. Why? The Talmud says, “Great is repentance, for it brings healing to the world” (Yoma 86b). The apostle Paul echoes this healing mission to the world, as he writes: “All this is from God, who through Messiah reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). We are not just forgiven; we are sent out to minister reconciliation in the name of Messiah Yeshua/Jesus (2 Cor. 5:19-20).

We will fast, pray, confess, and remember. We will stand in awe of the tension between judgment and mercy, between exile and return. And then, we rise. Not with a comforting notion of cleansing that fades with the days, but to commissioning. We are commissioned to His mission. 

We are commissioned to walk in the truth, as Yeshua prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). The grace we receive from the Father is not passive, it sanctifies. It causes us to walk in the light, as He is in the light (1 Jn. 1:7), and to embody the Torah/instruction of the Father written on our hearts (Jer. 31:33) by the Holy Spirit.

We are commissioned to speak words of integrity that build up. The rabbis taught that the tongue is like an arrow, it can wound from afar. But the apostle James reminds us that the tongue, though small, must be bridled by wisdom from above, “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17). Our speech must reflect the mercy we have received.

We are commissioned as ambassadors of reconciliation. We are not just recipients of grace; we are to be vessels of it. As Paul writes, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:20). The forgiveness we have received is a call to forgive. The mercy we have known is a summons to extend mercy. The Gospel we have heard needs to be proclaimed. 

Father, You have drawn us near to Yourself through the blood of Messiah. You have not treated us as we deserve, but have covered us with grace. As we observe this holy day, let us experience it in awe, in thanksgiving, and mindful of the grace we have received. Help us to not return to a routine, but to walk in grace, truth and integrity as ministers of reconciliation. May we be ever mindful of the merciful message of Yom Kippur realized in Messiah Yeshua/Jesus. And may the Holy Spirit conform us to His image for Your glory (Ro. 8:29). 

Maranatha. Shalom.