1 Corinthians 1:4-5
“I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge;”
Every day I take vitamins to help supplement my diet. The purpose of taking vitamins is not to replace meals, but rather to enhance the nutrition I receive. The vitamins by themselves are not a meal, but the vitamins with meals will enhance the daily nutrition I receive.
We often talk about the grace of God, but I believe we sometimes miss what God’s grace does for us. It says in the verse above that God’s grace enriches us “in every thing.” The word “enriched” means, “to improve or enhance in quality, to supplement, to complement or to elevate.” In other words, God’s grace makes life better in every way.
We often say that God’s Word has the answers for everything in life, and that you will never truly be successful without it. Yet, someone may look at those in the world who have been successful and argue that this is not true; however, what most don’t understand is that you may be successful without God or His Word, but the success could have been better had they included God and His Word. The reason their success would have been better is because God’s grace enriches us in all things. Let me show you some of the areas where God’s grace enriches or enhances us.
First, you will notice that God’s grace will enrich your ability to speak. Verse 5 says, “That in every thing ye are enriched by him in all utterance,…” God is able to take our speech and improve it’s quality. The Apostle Paul talked about being “rude in speech,” but God’s grace took that speech and made it much better. When a person spends time in God’s Word, He will take their speech and improve it. God’s grace will give the Christian words that they have not thought of before. There are many times when I am preaching when God gives me a thought to say something that I had not planned to say. That was God’s grace enriching my speech. Have you ever witnessed to someone and God gave you something that you had not thought of before? That was God’s grace. God’s grace will enrich your speech.
Second, God’s grace will enrich your knowledge. Verse 5 says, “and in all knowledge.” Friend, you may get a good education without God, but you will get a better education with God. God has a way of including common sense with education. Educated people often do some of the dumbest things that leave you scratching your head; but, you let the same person include God in that education and you will find they will include common sense with it. This is simply God’s grace that has enriched their education.
Third, God’s grace will enrich your gifts. Verse 7 says, “So that ye come behind in no gift;…” Everyone has a gift God has given them, but God’s grace will take that gift and make it better. Whatever God has gifted you with in life, you will find God’s grace will enhance or elevate that gift to help you help others in a greater way.
Friend, the quality of your life and what you do can be enriched by the grace of God. Before you start your day, you should ask God to give you the grace to say what you should say, think what you should think, and use your gift in the way He would want you to use it. When you yield to God, He will enrich these areas of your life so that your work with others is more fulfilling.