Even Me
1 Timothy 1
KJV
12+ And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
13 Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
What a confession, what an admission of guilt and past life! These are some of the admirable traits of Paul that made him stand tall among his contemporaries!
It teaches lessons that most find difficult to learn and practice. Paul was saying “ even me” with all my weaknesses, the wrong and evil things I did; He has accepted me.
The call to serve is not based on human merit, but by grace It is not our worthiness but God counting us worthy It is not what I know but what He reveals through me.
As Paul admitted, it is God who “ enables Hear Him again “ who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry;
God’s “ enablement “ means God’s “empowerment “ and this “empowerment” comes through the gifts that He freely bestows.
In his letter to the church at Corinth, he made this known to them, how that not many distinguished men by worldly ratings were called, instead He chose the lowly, the unrecognised, the unadorned etc
Read it
1 Corinthians 1
KJV
26+ For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
Lest we misread what he said, please note he said “ not many wise etc ” which means some wise, mighty men etc were also called except that they were fewer in number.
To say “ even me” is to say “ I am not worthy “. “ I do not deserve” etc. who among us can beat his chest and say he was worthy of his salvation? None, not even the Apostle Paul.
As has been said “ every Saint was once a sinner, and every sinner is a potential saint “ It is with this mindset that the hymn writer describes his unworthiness in these words ;
“Christ receiveth sinful men,
Even me with all my sin;
Purged from ev’ry spot and stain,
Heav’n with Him I enter in”
(Sinners Jesus Will Receive)
Yes, even me, even you with all our pasts have been counted worthy to be part of His chosen and redeemed ones!
Read Paul wrote to the Corinthians ;
1 Corinthians 6
KJV
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
11+ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Yes, “And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified”! There is no sin that He can not forgive if we admit and forsake it.
Notice three (3) significant things that were done to us when we came to Christ. We are “washed” “ sanctified “ and “ justified”.
Washed of our sins an act a hymn writer painted with these words ;
“My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul! “
To be sanctified is to be set apart! We were once dirty and useless to Him but when we came to Him He first washed us and made us useful! He set us apart from the useless. He put on us a white garment! So strive to keep your garment white!
And lastly he “ justified “ us which means He declared us innocent! He dropped all the charges that Satan brought against us! He declared them foolish and no case.
Read how the Apostle John puts it;
1 John 3
KJV
1+ Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Yes, the world we left behind does not believe that we can be what they now see us to be They find it difficult to accept that a sinner like you has now become a saint.
This is God’s doing and because they don’t know God and His transformative power they can not believe what they see about you.
Yes, even I with all my negative past have been counted worthy to serve. Not because I am worthy but because He chose me! This is what Paul is saying to us.
We serve because of His grace, not by merit!
My reflections
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