1 Timothy : None Of Me, All Of You

What are you praising Jesus for today? Do you actually have to think about the answer? Jesus told us that the person who is forgiven much loves much. The more you realize the significance of what Jesus has done for you, the more you understand what kind of enemy you were to God, the more you realize how much you were a stench to him, then the more your love will be for him. If you don't realize what you were and what he has saved you from, your love won't be so much.

This is the point apostle Paul is making to Timothy as he continues to write. First he tells Timothy that he is thankful. It is the only proper position from which to serve Jesus, a heart overflowing with thanksgiving:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. (v. 12)

What's the first thing he is thankful for:

He has given me the strength for my work because he knew that he could trust me. (v. 12b)

Can we serve Jesus with our own resources, our own intelligence, our own determination, our own strength? Go ahead and try if you want and then you and I will sit down in a couple of months and see where you are. I will save you the time and tell you where you will be: You will be dead spiritually. We can't do anything for God with our own resources. We can only serve him when we are empowered by the Holy Spirit. Without him we can do nothing; with him we can do anything. Paul knew this and thanked Jesus for the strength he gave him to serve him. But what is this thing about trust?

Paul writes that Jesus knew he could trust him. Sounds arrogant but Paul knew who he was in Jesus and he knew what he had been saved from and he knew that the love of Jesus would always compel him to move forward, to never go back, to never go back to what he had been:

I used to say terrible and insulting things about him, and I was cruel. But he had mercy on me because I didn’t know what I was doing, and I had not yet put my faith in him. Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own. (v. 13-14)

There is something here that Paul had that most of us miss today. Paul had nothing to offer Jesus and he knew it. Today we ask the Lord to use our talents, our riches, our fame, our intellect, as if needs them. Jesus doesn't want any of it. Do you understand that? You have nothing to offer Jesus except your love and your obedience. Look at Paul's words again:

Christ Jesus our Lord was very kind to me. He has greatly blessed my life with faith and love just like his own.

He had greatly blessed his life with faith and love, just like Jesus'. Jesus does not want you to use your faith. You can't manage to generate the faith he desires you to have. He just wants you to die to yourself so he can fill you with everything you need, like his supernatural faith, the faith that allows the power of God to flow so you can speak to the dead to rise and the mountains to leap.

We go on a lot about loving our neighbour, loving the lost, loving the Body but if you try it with your love, which is second rate at best, you will fail and you may actually kill someone. We need his love. We need Jesus to bless our life with love, just like his. This is why Paul was as thankful because he knew that Jesus was working through him. On his own he was a hateful man, a blasphemer and murderer, but empowered by Jesus, Paul had become the great apostle to the Gentiles, a lover of God, the carrier of the revelation of the Body, and champion of Grace.

Imagine what we could become if we would allow the Spirit to change our mind on this matter. Imagine if instead of trying to serve Jesus with our pitiful resources, we actually lived in Jesus and allowed him to manifest himself through us.

Oh Lord, break me; melt me; mold me; fill me. None of me. None of my emotions. None of my ideas. None of my desires. All of you. All of your power. All of your faith. All of your love. May we be obedient to the Father's will as you were, empowered by the Spirit to serve all of our days.

How To Avoid A Shipwreck

The Christian walk is not something that can be taken out every now and then and dusted off. It is a daily work out as we are empowered by the Holy Spirit to put God's will, his Word, into effect in our living. It is a full time occupation which effects every ounce of everything we do, think and claim to be. We have to be active participants, willingly setting aside everything our flesh desires and giving permission to our spirit to take the lead. It is not always easy because the desires of our flesh can be pretty strong.

Apostle Paul wrote some encouragement to his young friend Timothy. He had left Timothy responsible for the ministry in Asia Minor while he visited the churches in Macedonia. What was happening in Asia Minor was a major thing, the most fruitful ministry Paul had been involved in. This was quite the task for Timothy but I guess Paul saw a mighty work in this young man. What he wrote to him was more than encouragement, he also gave him instructions. Paul explained it this way:

"Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith." (1 Timothy 1:18-19)

That's the thing we want to avoid, a shipwrecked faith, but that is exactly what will happen if we do not realize our walk with Jesus is a daily active motivation of our living. Consider the three things Paul touched on with his instructions.

First he refers to "fight the good fight". That was a theme for Paul and in his last letter he every wrote he proclaimed that he had finished his race and fought the good fight. Paul knew our lives are a lives of mission. We weren't left here to do whatever we want to do. We aren't here for our pleasure. We aren't here to get rich and fill our lives with plenty of toys. We were saved and then sent out to make disciples, to reveal God's glory to the nations. We are active co-workers with Christ Jesus in bringing his light to those who are lost in darkness. We may all have different functions in the body put when it comes to missions we all have the same purpose, to share the Good News with the world. This is fighting the "good fight", being excellent witnesses to the love of Jesus Christ.

Second he refers to "holding on to faith". This has to be a daily pursuit where we encourage ourselves, in the Lord, in the Word, in the Spirit, in each other. This walk is not easy when you realize the character of Christ is in direct contrast to this world. It will cause some friction and difficulty. There is also the desires of our own flesh that must constantly be kept in check, kept under our feet and never allowed to have any control. On top of that we have any schemes of the enemy to derail as many of the saints as possible. It is warfare down here and too many people aren't aware of it. It is only by renewing ourselves every day through worship, Bible study, prayer and fellowship with fellow sojourners that we are able to remain strong, holding on to the faith that has been held out to us. We cannot go forward without faith because the Word tells us that anything that does not come from faith is sin. There is a shipwreck right there.

The third thing apostle Paul refers to is "a good conscience". I wish I could say that we are all perfect but we still have a weakness until the day of the Lord's return and that is our flesh. We have been given authority over this flesh but once in a while we let our guard down and we fail. It doesn't have to be in a major way, but anything that offends God is a sin. However, we are housed in this cocoon of God's grace so anything we do and deal with God, confessing and seeking his forgiveness, is dealt with and we are released from. It does not separate us from God unless it is something we hold on to, try to hide from him, refuse to confess. Sin that we do not deal with will separate us from God. We must maintain a clear conscience, always dealing with our sins with him, no matter the shame we feel in it. His grace is incredible and I am so thankful in my daily walk that I know if I fail and turn to him the matter is quickly dealt with. His grace is no excuse to sin but if it happens his grace is more than sufficient. 

These are the areas we need to concentrate on in our daily walk, pushing ahead with the mission, holding on to our faith, and maintaining a good conscience. These three need daily attention. Once a week will not do, so you can forget about once a month or once a year. We are not part-time warriors. We are not part-time walkers. We are not part-time friends with Jesus Christ. It is all or nothing. It is daily or we end up shipwrecked on the rocks. Don't reject these things and end up destroyed by the enemy of your soul.

Remember What Jesus Did For You

Imagine where you would be right now without Jesus. Sometimes we forget what we were before he saved us. Sometimes we forget what transformation we have been going through. Sometimes we forget how we used to think and act. Sometimes we forget just how wretched we were before encountering the Son of God who called us to himself, to be transformed from what we were, to become what we are, the children of God. We also forget the trust he has shown us by calling us into the mission of redeeming lost souls. When we remember all that we can say with apostle Paul:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. (1 Timothy 1:12)

Paul served with all his heart because he never forgot what Jesus did for him. He never forgot what he was before he met Jesus:

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. (v. 13)

This blasphemer, persecutor and violent man deserved death but he did not receive it. Instead Jesus revealed himself to Paul and called him into his service. He extended great grace to him and that grace turned Paul from a persecutor to the great champion of the Body of Christ. The Spirit poured incredible revelation through Paul so that we today could have better understanding of many spiritual matters. From a man who hated Christ to a man who has been used by Christ for nearly two thousand years. Paul's appreciation of what Jesus did for him are expressed in simple, humble words:

The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (v. 14)

In the same way Jesus called Paul he has called you. You don't think he wants to use you in your service to him? You think you are unworthy? Yes, you are unworthy, but he has declared you to be worthy. He took a murderer and turned him into a great lover, so imagine what he can do with you if you trust him with your heart, mind and soul. Imagine what he can do with a life that presents itself like putty in his hands. Imagine what his will is for you if you would only remain sensitive to his Holy Spirit.

There are many things you and I should have in common but one in particular should stand out for us: a grateful heart. Each of us should be shouting out praises as they rise up from the overflow of our gratefulness. Every morning should start off with "Thank you Jesus". Throughout our day we should be lifting our eyes up and thanking Jesus. In the sunshine and the rain it should be "Thank you Jesus". In winter and summer, spring and fall - "Thank you Jesus". Remember what you have been saved from. Remember his grace. Remember and serve him well today, with all your strength, from a thankful heart.