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Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Jeremiah 5-6
1 Timothy 1

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (CSB): “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

It’s been said that Christians are the only ones who shoot our wounded.

Further, we often condemn the Pharisees while acting just like them. We look down our noses at those who sin differently than we do and offer up a prayer, “God, I thank you that I’m not like them” (Luke 18:11).

Yet, a biblical view of ourselves and others reveals that every one of us is messed up and we all need Jesus. Some are certainly more broken—or even more evil—than others. But no one is too far gone to be saved and sanctified by the Lord Jesus.

Some of the most powerful testimonies are given by those who were the farthest away from Jesus before He called them into a relationship with Him.

The Apostle Paul, in the verses I have chosen for today, said as much. Timothy was well aware of what Paul was like before God saved him. Paul had imprisoned and even killed Christians. But his sinning didn’t stop when he got saved. He would have struggles with sin until the day he died.

It was with this self-awareness and a flawed life that the Apostle Paul highlighted Jesus’ profound grace. Paul was essentially saying, “If Jesus can save a wretch like me, He can save anyone!”

1 Timothy 1:15-16 (CSB): “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners’—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.”

While we should never excuse sin in ourselves or in others, we should celebrate grace. We should realize that no one is too far gone to be invited into a relationship with our Lord. In fact, the worse someone is before Jesus gets ahold of them, the more powerful the testimony and the more convincing they are when they say, “If Jesus can save me, he can save anyone!”

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you see your sin struggles honestly.
  • Ask God to help you see and experience His unmerited favor, His grace.
  • Ask God to help you extend His grace (ultimately manifested in the Gospel) with others, no matter how sinful they may be.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into 1 Timothy 1:15, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that Paul was the chief of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)