#DailyDevotion Jesus Picks Some Strange People To Proclaim His Salvation
1 Tim. 1:12-14 12I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, whose power has been in me. He thought I could be trusted and appointed me to do His work 13although I used to slander, persecute, and shamefully mistreat Him. But He was merciful to me because, when I didn’t believe, I didn’t know what I was doing. 14Our Lord poured His grace on me, bringing faith and love in Christ Jesus.
God is kind of strange. He is nothing like us. He is what we think we liked to be. But we are often not what we’d like to be. We’d like to think we give a second chance to prove themselves but when the time comes, we do not. We are too hurt and we cannot get over our pain. We’d like to wish the person well and may do so, but we don’t want to be hurt again. So we don’t give the person that chance.
Well Christ Jesus gave Paul a second chance. Paul thought he was working for God and doing God’s will as he pursued Christians, put them in chains, and saw them put to death. He did not believe he good news Jesus had been raised from the dead and was the Messiah he was hoping for. Jesus Christ revealed himself to Paul rather dramatically. I guess that is what some of need to repent. Well Paul repented of his former life and with the power given him by Christ Jesus began proclaiming Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the very Son of God.
Jesus trust Paul and appointed him to do His work. As Paul says, “I used to slander, persecute, and shamefully mistreat Him.” For what we do to Jesus’ disciples that we do to him. Now Paul is slandered, persecuted and shamefully mistreated for the name of Jesus. As Jesus told Ananias, “I will so him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Paul gladly suffered for the name of Jesus if it meant receiving all the riches of Christ Jesus at the end of the age.
Jesus was merciful to Paul because when he didn’t believe, he didn’t know what he was doing. It is as Jesus spoke from the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Before anyone is in Christ Jesus they don’t know what they are doing either. They are in utter darkness. God’s light is not in them. It doesn’t matter if they heard the good news of Jesus or not. If Christ Jesus isn’t dwelling in them through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are living out the ignorance of sin that dwells in them. We are all conceived and born this way. Jesus must be merciful to us to remove the veil of darkness that covers our hearts so we may see him and believe in him. When you look at the people in the world and wonder, “What on earth are they thinking,” just know they aren’t. They aren’t thinking with the mind of Christ. They are under the power of devil.
But you dear Christian brother or sister, give thanks with St. Paul he has been merciful to you. By his great power you too have been born of God through the forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name. He has poured out his grace on you bringing you love and faith in Christ Jesus. Be thankful he didn’t have to be as dramatic with you as with St. Paul. If He was, still be thankful he didn’t leave you out there. Now through the forgiveness that is in Jesus, you know God and Christ and can begin to live like Christ for he is living his life out through you.
Heavenly Father, we give thanks that you have given us faith in Christ Jesus so we may know you and your great mercy, love and kindness. Give us your Holy Spirit so we may give the same to those we know and meet. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.