1 Timothy 1:15-16 – The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
THEME OF THE DAY. REMEMBER HIS MERCY, NOT YOUR SIN. I have been reading a book titled Mindscape: What to Think About Instead of Worrying. It is pretty good. The author uses “mindscape” as a parallel to the features describing a landscape. He writes, “If you would allow us to take a look at the features that define the landscape of your mind – your ‘mindscape’ as it were – what would we see? What are the thoughts that occupy your mind throughout the day and perhaps into the night? If you had access to the mindscape of another person for twenty-four hours, you would probably be shocked at what you saw. Think about it: How many of us would like someone else to have twenty-four hours access to our thought lives? I wouldn’t. This is particularly alarming as you consider the words of Proverbs 23:7 – For as he thinks within himself, so he is. Our thoughts give us a picture into what we are really like, and this can be very discouraging. If the mind is ‘the window of the soul’, our mindscape can betray an inner darkness that casts a shadow over our thoughts, words, and deeds. But our condition is not hopeless.”
No, we are not hopeless in the battle for the mind. The Word of God transforms us; it renews our mind to be able to consistently fight off unhealthy, ungodly thoughts and have the mind of Christ (Romans 12:1-2). But it takes work. Every Christian will win or lose daily spiritual battles not based on what they do first, but how they think first. How we think always leads to how we act. So, the battle for godliness rests in our minds. And in today’s scripture, the Apostle Paul identifies the number one battlefield we face . . . the battle between remembering God’s mercy and patience against remembering our many sins and failures. A lot of Christians are living in spiritual defeat, crippled over past sins and failures, that grip their minds like a vice. They focus more on themselves than the God of all mercy and grace. No one would have battled this more than the Apostle Paul. Let’s enter his arena of warfare.
First, the Apostle Paul acknowledged he was a sinner, and not just any sinner. He says, “the foremost, the chief, the worst” of sinners. And it is easy to see why he saw himself in that light. Remember his persecution of Christians and Christ before he became a Christian? He was bad news for Christians; public enemy number one. But now he is a lover of Christ and Christians when he writes this. Can you imagine the intense warfare with the devil he endured? No doubt the devil earnestly and aggressively attempted to get Paul to wallow in remorse and regret over the sins of his past. And he will do the same to us. If we listen, and believe him, we are done. The battle is lost. Spiritual paralysis will occur and the joy of the Lord will grow wings and take flight from our hearts. But Paul didn’t give in . . .
The Apostle Paul also acknowledged the mercy and patience of the Lord Jesus with sinners. He saw beyond his sin to the great grace found in the God who forgives sins, uses sin for good, and will not remember sin. We find in Paul a great example of a renewed mind focused more on the God of forgiveness than the failures of a sinner. And this is exactly how we must think if we want to be effective and joyful in our walks with the Lord. Remember mercy, not sins. It is God’s desire for us and He has made provision for us to do so; the power of His renewing Word.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to always keep my eyes on Your mercy, not on my sin and failures.”
QUOTE: “If you focus more on yourself than the Lord, disappointment and discouragement are at the end of that gaze.”