A Prayer to Honor God

“This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”  (1 Timothy 1:15-17)

Paul has been recounting his testimony to Timothy. His humility comes through for all of God’s grace shown to him despite his persecution and killing of the Christians before his confession on the road to Damascus. He is marveling at God’s mercy toward him despite his hateful attitude toward Jesus and the saints. He realizes now how far the grace of Jesus went to save him. If Saul could get saved and become the apostle Paul, there is hope for anyone. Paul has recognized before that religious sinners are the worst of sinners and are the hardest to get saved. Their self-righteousness is a difficult barrier to be broken. He called himself the worst sinner that ever existed when he said, “I am chief.”

All of this reflection on God’s grace could only erupt in praise in honor to God Who saved such an unworthy man as Saul. This is how Paul ended these verses of scripture.

What Was Paul Like As Saul?

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.”  (1 Timothy 1:12-14)

There was no good in Paul that brought him to eternal life. There is no good in us bringing us to eternal life. Though Paul called himself the worst sinner, we have nothing to brag about even if we compare ourselves with him. “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). “There is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10). The list could go on and on of scriptures telling us what we looked like to God when we came to offer our good works in exchange for eternal life. All God could think of was “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6).

Think of this. Paul called himself the worst sinner who ever lived, yet he was not immoral, a fornicator, liar, thief or drunk. Paul was religious. Prostitute and drug addicts are not God’s greatest enemies. Religious people are the worst sinners, opposing Jesus and the gospel of grace He came to preach. You do not have to go to church to be religious. A religious person simply brings up their good works when asked if they would go to heaven. Works answers are the greatest percentage of responses given when you witness to someone.

Paul opposed the gospel in ignorance but did oppose. God was prodding Paul a long time, but Paul fought Him.  “He said, who are you Lord? The Lord said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting: it is hard for you to kick against the goads”(Acts 9:5).

Moses also knew God’s will but tried to accomplish it in his own strength. He killed an Egyptian guard trying to show God he could deliver Israel. God sent Moses to the backside of the wilderness to watch over sheep for forty years until He could sweat Moses out of Moses. God did

the same with Saul in Arabia until he was ready to preach the gospel and become Paul, God’s apostle to the Gentiles.

When you try to accomplish the will of God in your own strength, you hurt yourself and others. When you push God away, you slow the timing. Paul’s sin and Moses’ sin were pride.

What Is It That Honors God?

“And Ananias went his way and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” (1 Timothy 1:17) 

Decreasing ourselves, seeing ourselves in humility and grace is where we begin in honoring God. John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).  God can never really increase.  He is as big as He will ever be. David wrote in the Psalms, “magnify the Lord with me”

(Psalm 34:3). A magnifying glass does not make an object bigger, but makes it appear bigger. Our praise and worship does not make God bigger, only appear bigger to us. We minimize the Lord through our over inflated attitude of ourselves. We need to see God as He really is. Our magnifying glass is the word of God, our praise, worship and prayers to Him for His power and mercy in our time of weakness. This helps us to decrease ourselves and increase God. Elijah stayed after the brook dried and left at God’s word. He came to the brook at God’s command, but did not leave, even when the brook was dry, only dust. He waited for the voice of the Lord again. Even when your brook is drying up, you are not smart enough to figure out what to do. Wait on God’s voice and God’s timing. Is your brook drying up?  It is already dry?  Don’t leave yet. “It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Being Called to Pastor

There is more to preparation to become a minister than a diploma from a Bible School or Theological University. So often, at graduation, the students already have places to go, churches, mission fields, or evangelistic meetings set up. Education and a diploma give you qualifications, but never the stamina needed to endure and complete a ministry calling. This comes through faithfulness to whatever your hand can find to do and a decreasing of yourself in your own sight. Again, decreasing of yourself helps you to magnify God and look to His strength instead of your own.

My Own Testimony

As a teacher in a Sunday School class at our home church, Loretta and I taught and helped to set up our portable church each week. We did this without pay and without praise from people. Study and preparation to teach at the church opened a door for me to teach at Rhema Bible Training Center, at my place of employment, Kenneth Hagin Ministries. I thought this might be my final place of ministry, because I could think of nothing better than to teach students studying for the ministry at a premier Bible school. Yet, the fourth year of teaching, the Lord spoke to me strongly telling me I would be pastoring the church we both had been attending for seven years, since its inception. I would be the third pastor and had been attending through the first two. Although I had been told by God I would pastor there, I waited for the church board to ask me to take the church after the second pastor resigned. It took quite a few weeks of searching before they asked me if the Lord had spoken to me to take the church. I told them “yes” and eventually I became the pastor. It would have been easy to insert myself into a board meeting, tell them what God has said to me and try to take the reins at that time. But even though it seemed like too long of a period of time before I took the pulpit, I waited on the voice of the Lord despite the fact the stream seemed like it had already dried up. God is seldom early, but never late.

Don’t jump in frustration. If it is God’s call, it has to be God’s timing. He will complete what He has begun. Paul was found faithful by God. It took a number of years for him to go from spiritual separation after being saved to being known in the churches of Judea (Galatians 1:21).

How Does Your Attitude Compare with Paul’s?

How does God find you now, pushing, or faithful? Maybe it’s time to go back to where you left His will at the dry brook. If you haven’t heard from God for a long time, maybe you are still in God’s will or you have to go back to the last place and do what you knew was right at the time. Maybe God has not spoken since then. Don’t jump the gun and try to anticipate what God is going to do next. Haven’t you made that mistake before?

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance (unqualified acceptance)” (1 Timothy 1:15).

 This is one of Paul’s favorite sayings, occurring five times in his writings (1 Timothy 1:15, 3:1, 4:9, 2 Timothy 2:11, Titus 3:8). No one is totally faithful, or dependable.  Only God’s word and the voice of the Holy Spirit. God’s word needs no outside verification, or proof. The word must be the highest authority in your life. Your ideas and ambitions must not even be on the same page with the word.

Resting in God Should Be Your Goal

“He who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His.  Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest” (Hebrews 4:10, 11).     

Moses delayed his ministry by forty years by his own striving. The Israelites were delayed forty years for the same reason. Stop pushing to get your way or promote yourself into a position. If you get yourself into a position, you must keep yourself in it. If God gets you into a position, He will keep you there. Delays getting into a position are a test of your trustworthiness. Delays just give you another day to improve your character. We are interested in our destination. God is interested in the trip. God wants us to arrive at the destination a better person, more mature than when we began the trip.

God Made Paul a Standard for Us

However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern (standard) to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”  (1 Timothy 1:16)

Jesus is our highest standard to follow. But we have others also, such as Paul, Peter, Moses, Isaiah, etc. We are to, “be followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Hebrews 6:12).

Jesus wanted Paul to be saved, then to be an example to all who would desire to follow the Lord after salvation. No one can think of themselves so evil or immoral that God could not save them. Paul’s testimony then becomes a witness to us of God’s grace. God saw in Paul a standard for all Christians later. Paul is our example of salvation “to the uttermost.”  If God could work with Paul, there is hope for us. All that is left at the end is Paul’s gratitude and praise. This is all that is left for you to do after you rest in God’s power and ability.

How About You?

Is it time for you to decrease so God can increase? Is it time for God to be magnified along with His grace? Give up striving, pushing, and trying to make God’s will come to pass. Use Moses, Elijah, Paul, and Jesus as your example. Then you can become an example yourself, one for others to follow.