Day 314: 1 Timothy 1:12–17

He considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—one who was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man (vv. 12–13).

Paul and Timothy spent years together, yet oddly the apostle had hardly greeted the young preacher in this first letter before he repeated his testimony. Twenty-six years had passed since a blinding light had opened the eyes of a persecutor named Saul, but he was still repeating his testimony because he never forgot. He remembered like it was yesterday.

I don’t know how you feel about Paul or the journey we’ve shared, but I know I want his unquenchable passion! Fortunately, it’s contagious. We catch it by imitating what he did to get it. I see at least six reasons in 1 Timothy 1:12–17.

1. He never forgot the privilege of ministry (v. 12). Unlike most of us, Paul’s conversion and subsequent ministry took him from a life of relative ease to almost constant pressure and turmoil. He was beaten, stoned, whipped, jailed, and starved in the course of his ministry; yet he considered his calling to serve God to be the greatest privilege anyone could receive.

A host of reasons probably existed for Paul’s continued gratitude. One possibility stands out most in my mind. His chief desire was “to know Christ” (Phil. 3:10). I believe the more he knew Christ, the more he saw His greatness. The more Paul saw His greatness, the more amazed he was to have the privilege to serve Him. We will also become more amazed over our privilege to serve as we seek to know Christ better.

2. He never forgot who he had been (v. 13). God used Paul to perform more wonders and birth more churches than any other human in the New Testament. In a quarter of a century, Paul had plenty of time to forget who he had been, taking pride in his powerful ministry. One reason God leaves our memories of past repented sin intact is because a twinge of memory is indeed profitable to us. Pride is the archenemy of ministry.

I think one reason Paul continued to remember who he had been was because his love for Christ continued to grow. The more he loved Christ, the more he wondered how he could have sinned against Him so horrendously in his past. I’ve personally experienced this. Even though I know I am fully forgiven, the deeper my love for Christ has grown, the more I regret past sins.

3. He never forgot the abundance of God (v. 14). Paul discovered God’s intent was not just for us to get by. He is not the God of barely enough. Paul encountered a God who supergave! Paul wrote, “The grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (hcsb). Paul never forgot the abundance of God. Greater still, God never forgets the abundance of our need.

Isaiah described God’s devotion to His children: “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or lack compassion for the child of her womb? Even if these forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isa. 49:15 hcsb). He sees our needs like a mother sees her helpless infant’s needs. Like a loving mother, He will never forget one of His children.

4. He never forgot the basics (v. 15). Can you imagine the wealth of knowledge Paul gained in his quest for God? Still he never lost sight of the most important truth he ever learned: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (hcsb). May we also never forget! We don’t have to lose touch with our most basic belief to press on to maturity.

How long has it been since tears stung your eyes when someone received Christ? Or how long has it been since you felt deep gratitude for the simplicity of your salvation? I beg you, never stop thanking Christ for coming into the world specifically to save you.

5. He never forgot his primary role (v. 16). According to the apostle, God saved “the worst” of sinners to “demonstrate the utmost patience as an example” (hcsb). The Greek word for “example” means “to draw a sketch or first draft as painters when they begin a picture.” Paul saw himself drawn in that picture. You are painted in the portrait. I am painted in. The worst of sinners—the spiritually blind, lame, and lost—find unlimited patience in our God! If we look on the era of Paul’s life and his contemporaries to be the last great movement of God, then we have tragically misunderstood. If our conclusion is “Wow! Those were the days,” we’ve missed the point. God is still painting the portrait of His church. Paul was only an example of what God can do with one repentant life. God hasn’t finished the picture—but one day He will.

6. He never forgot the wonder of God (v. 17). Twenty-six years after he fell to his knees, Paul still felt so overwhelmed by the awesome work of God that he exclaimed, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever” (hcsb). I wish I could have seen Timothy’s face while reading Paul’s words. Perhaps he thought, How has he kept his wonder? The answer? He never forgot who he had been. He relished the abundance of God. He never lost sight of the basics.

When my oldest daughter was little and I offered her a treat that had lost its luster to her, she responded politely, “No, thank you, Mommy. I’m used to that.” The apostle Paul had known Christ for twenty-six years. Still he looked back on his salvation and the privilege to serve and never got “used to that.” May God grant us a memory like Paul’s.