Not deserving but called to serve

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 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. 1 Timothy 1:12-16 From the text, Paul expressed how grateful he was to God who allowed him to experience His saving grace, the same grace that afforded him the opportunity to serve God. Flaws and with all his shortcomings, God enabled him to receive forgiveness and now with the life that he has in Christ, He can honor and glorify Him. Everything in his life changed when he came to know Christ as his Lord and Savior. Because of his gratefulness to God, the passion he demonstrated in the past persecuting believers is also the fervency he had shown serving God. No matter how big or little the opportunity God opened for him to serve, he was faithful. His faithfulness was rewarded by God by entrusting to him more opportunities to share the gospel. He became one of the main advocates of expanding the kingdom of God to places where no one has ventured in the past. Our desire to serve God now should not be hampered or dampened by how we lived our life in the past before we came to surrender our life to God. Just like what Paul says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” God saved us not because of our meritorious life but because we realize that we are sinners who need to be saved and Christ alone could save us. Serving God stems out of our willingness to be used by Him relying alone in His strength working within. Our willingness to be used by God for his glory depends in our faithfulness to Him today. Every opportunity that He opens for us to serve or to minister in His Name is a privilege that we did not deserve. But because of His grace, He made it possible that through us His love can overflow. Let us pray and ask God that He will enable us to be faithful so that our life becomes an expression of His wonderful grace. Wherever you are right now, regardless of the size of the opportunity to serve in His Name, make it count. “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities” (Luke 16:10).

Blessings,

Noel De Guzman

www.my-wbc.com