TRUSTWORTHY

 

Write From My Heart

September 14, 2021

TRUSTWORTHY  certain; dependable; reliable

1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV)  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.

            When I think of Apostle Paul, I rarely think of words such as mass murderer, repeat offender, or serial killer.  Yet in Paul’s earlier days when he was known as Saul he routinely turned Christians over to the authorities to be questioned, tormented, tortured, and killed—many times whole households. God had much greater plans for the man he renamed Paul. Paul was to become one of the founding fathers of the Christian church who would come to depend upon his letters and messages as building blocks of faith and hope.

            Sometimes I wonder what God sees in me that causes him to make me useful for his purposes? Yet I know God is the one who provides the writing skills I use daily. I’m pretty sure there are others reading this very devotional who feel they could not possible be forgiven and certainly not useful for God’s work because of some past faults, failures, sins, or inadequacies of varying types; and I seriously doubt your past would come close to matching up with Paul’s.

            God’s purpose was clear, and Paul explains it quite well:

1 Timothy 1:16 (NLT) But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life.

            The next time you are down on yourself, falsely imaging that forgiveness is not possible, or deceiving yourself into believe that God could not possibly find you useful for his purposes—simply remember the patience he had with Paul. What is certain, dependable, and reliable is this: You, too, can be forgiven! You, too, can be used in ways you might not even imagine possible to bring others to Christ.