God Counted You Faithful Before Putting You Into The Ministry

“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,” — I Timothy 1:12 NKJV

Amongst all the people God called, Apostle Paul even called himself the least of the apostles. He didn’t deserve Jesus. Why? Because aside from living a life of sin, he persecuted the church of God for some time. People criticised him when he started preaching the gospel, saying, “… He who formerly persecuted us now preaches the faith which he once tried to destroy” – Galatians 1:23 NKJV. However, in all these things, God counted him faithful before putting him into the ministry.

Do you know something? God looks within people. He knows the state of each person’s heart. Secondly, God knows the enormous potential embedded in everyone, including the unbeliever who hasn’t yet accepted Jesus as Lord and personal Saviour. So when Paul was running around persecuting Christians, God knew how He would make him labour for the gospel for years, and that’s the exact thing He said to Ananias when He told him to heal Paul of his blindness (Acts 9:15-16).

When Paul was writing the book of Timothy, he was already old. So he knew all the intricacies of this eternal life of Jesus Christ. And if Paul would say “Thank you” to Jesus, at least it would have been all about having air to breathe, food to eat or a legacy to leave behind. But that’s not what he thanked God for. Instead of counting on all his achievements, he thanked God for believing in him when he was a nobody, showing him the way of faithfulness and raising him to be a mighty asset in His kingdom.

Dear minister, let me tell you that God counted you faithful before putting you into the ministry. He knew you’d mess up sometimes, make mistakes, mishandle opportunities and even commit evil acts sometimes unconsciously. But He’s focused on your roots – what’s within you, not the filth you’re letting out. That’s why He keeps sending people to preach the Word of God to you. Why? Because he knows the Word has a cleansing power to eliminate any nasty thing in your life gradually (John 15:3).

You’re not a perfect person, but God has given you divine enablement to do His work. Trust Him, and keep pressing on. He’ll not leave nor forsake you.

You’re a blessing.

Prayer

Father, I pray in the name of Jesus; thank you for counting me faithful before putting me into the ministry. Help me to keep my focus on you always, not my shortcomings and errors, as I seek to do Your will. Amen!

Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 155