TGIF

12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 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. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

1 Timothy 1:12-14

Living for Jesus can often feel hard and tiring. There’s a number of reasons for this. But today, Paul offers us an opportunity to see things differently. Instead of seeing the life of Christian service as a chore, Paul sees it as a privilege.

Think about it his way. In other places, Paul talks about the joy that comes from seeing people know Jesus and become more like Him. He talks about the joy that comes from knowing your purpose in life and living it out.

Think about purpose for a moment. Humans are joyless when they feel purposeless. And outside of Christ we are essentially cast adrift from true purpose. Oh I know, people don’t feel that way. They make themselves, or their families, or some other ambition their purpose. But these things all seem to eventually come up empty.

Just take Michael Jordan for instance. If you watch the ‘Last Dance’ or hear some of his later interviews. The man who won everything, the greatest basketball player ever, now feels lost because he doesn’t know what to do now.

But the Christian never feels purposeless. For they always have the good works God has prepared for them to do. And this is a privilege rather than a right. We were all blasphemers and sinners. By what right should we experience the joy of true purpose?

It’s only God’s grace that He has decided to make us worthy in Christ. He has considered us trustworthy enough to serve others and we reap the benefits when we embrace this opportunity.

For Today:

Pray: