Mensa Otabil - Christ Is Our Source
- Watch
- Donate
1 Timothy 1, verse 12: "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me because he has counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry."
At this time, Paul is talking about his calling and the ministry that God has given to him, and he offers thanks to the Lord Jesus Christ for his calling and the ministry that he has been entrusted with. But the Lord did not only entrust Paul with the ministry; he also enabled him. The apostles saw Christ as the source of his strength in the Christian walk and in the ministry that had been given to him.
The ministry of Paul was very remarkable; there were signs, there were wonders, there were healings, and even some dead were raised back from the dead. So, he had a great ministry and so much knowledge about the mysteries of Christ, which he shared freely with us. However, he considered all of that as an enablement of the Holy Spirit. He didn't give credit to his rabbinical training, even though he had very good training, nor did he see it as eloquence or oratory. Paul just saw Christ as the enabler of all that he did, and that's a very important indicator for us.
We may have gifts, we may have abilities, we may have strengths that enable us to do things, and many times, we want to give those things the credit for what we have achieved in life. We want to say, "Well, I'm a very meticulous person; I work hard," and it's good to do all of that. But as Christians, at the end of the day, we cast all our care before the Lord and credit Him for the enablement, the ability, and the gifts that we have. And that's what Paul is doing now: "I thank God who has enabled me."
The other thing Paul says in this verse, verse 12, is that he was counted faithful, putting him into the ministry. Paul was faithful in ministry, and he touches on faithfulness as important in the work that God has called us to do-not only in preaching but in every area of our lives. Faithfulness is being committed to what you have and doing it well to meet the expectations of the one who has committed a thing to you. If God gives us a gift, we have to be faithful; we have to be good stewards of it.
Jesus taught that faithfulness starts with little things: faithfulness in your time, faithfulness in the way you manage money, faithfulness in relationships. If you are faithful in little, Jesus says you'll be faithful in much. Paul is saying God counted him faithful; in other words, he didn't start with all the grand things that he achieved. He started very little, and at every point, he committed himself. He was convinced about what he was doing; he gave all his heart to it, and as he did that, God committed more and more to him.
Even as an ignorant unbeliever, Paul was a very committed person to the things that had been given to him, and he went to extremes with it. But God graciously saved him. The important thing is, if we're going to do the things that God wants us to do, we have to be faithful. We have to handle the resources He gives us very well and account for them very well, so that He can give far more into our hands. I pray that God will give all of us the ability to be faithful, so He can enable us more and more to do His work and to fulfill our destiny.
Let's share a word of prayer. Say with me: "Heavenly Father, thank You for Your grace that enables me. Help me to faithfully serve my generation. In Jesus' name, amen and amen."