The Worst Of The Sinners

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that He considered me faithful, appointing me to His service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life." 1 Timothy 1:12-16 (NIV)

Paul thought that he was the worst of the sinners. Given our sinful thoughts, in addition to our sinful acts, most of us could compete with Paul for that title. "The Lord detests the thoughts of the wicked ..." Proverbs 15:26 I cannot even begin to count the number of sinful thoughts that I have each day, and I am sure that I am not alone.

God is blessing us abundantly in spite of our sinful nature. We are living examples and proof
of the fact that Christians are not blessed because we are perfect or sinless. It is because of our faith in Him that He uses us to be living examples of His Word in an effort to save the lost souls. None of us is so great a sinner that God cannot use us, we just have to believe and offer ourselves for His service. Hopefully, we can all repeat Paul's words here and know that they apply to our lives as well.

Want A Spirit Filled Life?

"Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right ..." Romans 12:9-17 (NIV)

The above passage lists the traits and characteristics of a Spirit filled life. It describes our personal duties and it tells us how we should treat others. To practice good Christian behavior, these things should be on our daily "to do lists". Doing one good deed each day is good, but living a Spirit filled life all day every day would be much better. Attempt to live in such a way that God gets the glory from our life daily.

Rewards For Faithful Service

"... Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Matthew 25:21 (NIV)

In this parable of the servants who were given talents by their master, each man who produced results was commended for faithful service during his masters absence.

Their reward, like our will be, was based upon their faithfulness, not upon their results. The man who received the five talents and the man who received the two talents both received the same reward.

Our faithful stewardship now, will result in rewards later on.

Who Will You Serve?

"And if it seem evil unto you to serve The Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve ... but as for me and my house, we will serve The Lord." Joshua 24:15

Joshua asked the people to make a choice regarding whom they would serve. We basically have that same choice today. There is no middle ground, either you love The Lord and will serve Him or you don't and won't.

Joshua also led by example, he committed himself and his household to serving The Lord. Leadership occasionally requires that one make a bold stand for what he believes in. We can't lead people where we will not or do not go.

As Christians we need to choose to serve The Lord. We need to make that choice known to all those around us. And we need to live our lives in such a way as to make it clear to everyone that we have chosen to serve The Lord.

Are We Doing All That We Can To Serve The Lord?

I heard a great sermon preached yesterday. It brought to mind the question, Are we doing all that The Lord wants us to do?

"In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also The Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple ... Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the mist of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts ... thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also I heard the voice of The Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will for for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:1-8

There were things in Isaiah's life that got in the way of his seeing The Lord. When he saw The Lord in a vision he recognized that he was unworthy. An angle of The Lord touched his lips and took away his sin. Then he could hear the voice of The Lord and was willing to serve Him.

Likewise, there are things in our life which prevent us from being of service to The Lord or prevent us from doing the best that we can for The Lord. We know who He is, but our desire for sinful pleasures prevent us from hearing or obeying His word. We need to be "purged" of our sin and iniquity so that we can hear His voice and be better used in His service.

Are we doing all that we can to serve The Lord?