1 Timothy 1:12–17 (ESV)
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
On December 26, 1956, a man woke up and slowly made his way to the bathroom to go through his usual morning routine to get ready for the day. As he began to brush his teeth, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror, which caught him off guard. For the past 53 years, he felt that he had been putting up with all the celebrations of Christmas customs. He hung lights, decorated trees, wrapped presents, and of course, attended the obligatory parties and celebrations, including worship services. But that morning, after seeing the scowl on his face, he realized that something was wrong. In a Redbook article in 1957, he said, "I was brushing my teeth on the morning of the 26th of last December when I noticed a very Grinch-ish countenance in the mirror. So I wrote about my sour friend, the Grinch, to see if I could rediscover something about Christmas that, obviously, I'd lost." That man was, of course, Dr. Seuss, and the story he wrote has become a Christmas classic, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.[1]
In the story, the Grinch is a bitter, grouchy, selfish, angry, arrogant, black-hearted, conceited, foul, rotter of a person who has a heart that is two sizes too small. Everyone stays away from him, and no one loves him except his loyal dog, Max. Everyone knows that there is nothing redeemable about the Grinch, but in the story, the meaning of Christmas changes and transforms the heart of this king of sinful sots in an amazing way.
In many ways, this is similar to Paul’s assessment of himself in this passage. Paul describes himself as the worst of sinners—a blasphemer and a persecutor—yet he received Christ and was entrusted with the Gospel. What I love most about this narrative is that God, in His infinite and amazing patience, love, and mercy, took the hardest, most violent persecutor of Christians, whom others most likely thought was beyond redemption, and lavished His forgiveness upon the life of this man, Paul. We all know what happened to Paul after his encounter with Christ. He turned from being the biggest persecutor of the faith to the greatest champion of the Gospel. Why? Because no one is beyond the loving reach of God.
You see, no matter how far you may feel from God, no matter how great and overwhelming your sin may seem to you, GOD STILL LOVES YOU AND SENT JESUS TO DIE ON THE CROSS FOR YOU. The Lord’s unlimited patience and love, demonstrated in the life of Paul, shows us that the Lord has unlimited patience and love for all of us. And, as we respond to the love and grace of God in Jesus, we are given a trust. Just like Paul, we are entrusted with the Gospel.
This leads me to a great question today: “What are you doing with what you’ve been entrusted with?”
It’s a great question to ask ourselves as we walk through these troubling times. The Lord not only wants to work in you but through you, displaying His perfect patience at work in you, for all to see.
God bless you and know that you are prayed for this morning!
Scott