An Ordinary Man; an Extraordinary God

Deep down inside I think i have always felt that i was somehow special, that I would eventually accomplish something of importance, that no matter how many years ( decades) that I spent in the desert of obscurity, that, like Moses, I would emerge into significance. Perhaps I would write a best-selling novel, or have a expanding ministry. As I live in my seventh decade, I find that I am just an ordinary man, with far more failures than successes, that my sense of feeling special is just typical human pride. I have done nothing to distinguish myself from the sea of humanity around me. While my life may not have been, in the famous words of Winston Churchill, "nasty, brutish and short," it has been unremarkable. Titus 3:3 speaks of my and our lives without Christ. "For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." Verses 4 and following speak of the action of an extraordinary God. "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, which He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life." ( Titus 3:4-7 NKJV) God placed an incalculable value on me, and on you, by giving what was most precious to Him, His only Son, to suffer for our sins. "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a propitiation (atoning sacrifice) for our sins." ( 1 John 4:10 NKJV) An extraordinary God has mercy on ordinary people. Another thing that God reminded me of this week is the truth that we are not entitled to anything. Everything that we have, every breath, every heartbeat, is a gracious gift from Him. "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights..." ( James 1:17 NKJV) Finally I am the least handy person of modern times but for the first time in recorded history I managed to fix something around the house by myself. ( Something with the bathroom sink) All by His grace.