"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."
1 Timothy 1:16
Perfect patience... How patient is the Lord with you? How patient are you with other people? Or consider how patient you are with situations and circumstances in your life that you want to happen? How patient are you with yourself, or with the change you want to see in your life or the lives of others? Perfect patience, this is such a powerful thing to discover and consider. But it is true that Jesus was perfectly patient with Paul. In the scripture above Paul is writing a letter to his protege Timothy. In this portion in the beginning of the letter, Paul is explaining and expressing the fact that Jesus came to save sinners. And the beautiful thing about what Paul says here, is that he recognizes who he truly is, and who Jesus truly is. Because of the grace and mercy Jesus has shown Paul in his life, he is able to begin the see the purpose that God has for his life. Formerly, Paul was a persecutor of Christians, he literally killed those professing their faith to Jesus. In his lawful practice, he was ignorant to the grace and mercy that was being shown in the person of Jesus Christ, and the faith required to follow Him. It was not until Paul has a radical experience with Christ, that He opens Paul's eyes to his character. And it was because of this radical transformation of Paul's heart, that he sees Jesus for who He is, and is able to see himself for the sinner he is. It is those times of transformation in our hearts that we begin to see our place in God's will. It is by His grace and mercy that we can recognize the Lord's perfect patience in our lives. God saw to it, to give us time and the opportunity over and over again to come to Him, and to see his perfect patience on display in our lives. Once we recognize it, we are then motivated by the grace, love, mercy, and patience Jesus has shown us, to serve Him, and be a light to others. This is what Paul demonstrated in the scripture above. Paul realizes the transformation Jesus has made in his own heart, and he understands the purpose and importance of his testimony. Paul realized that the things that now take place in his life, are to serve as a sort of example of Christ's perfect patience for him when he was the foremost sinner, and to display His perfect grace in Paul's life to others. We need to open our eyes and see the spiritual purpose of God's working in our lives. We need to recognize His perfect patience in our lives. When we can do this, we are motivated to serve Jesus, knowing that it is truly for His glory, honor, and praise, and for our joy. And not only that, but when we can understand the patience God has demonstrated to us, and we continue to walk by faith, motivated to serve Him, He continues to transform our hearts and lives, and we become a beacon of hope to those closest to us. Our calling to is walk in the grace, mercy, and love that God has shown us, and to demonstrate that same grace, mercy, and love to those in our lives, so that they "are to believe in him for eternal life." Love you all! Praying for you and yours! Have a blessed day, it's your choice!
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