“I Am The Foremost, and still in the Body of Christ”

Ezekiel 34:20–21 ²⁰“Therefore, thus says the Lord God to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. ²¹Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad,

1 Timothy 1:12–17 ¹⁷To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

          It is said that the first impression is what gets you into the door.  This is true when one is new to an area, in an interview, or introducing themselves to the parents of the one they would like to spend the rest of their lives with.  It is also true because the first action we take in almost every facet of life is to judge another person, a situation, or an action performed by another person.  This is also true, most of the time when we judge someone else, we find that what we judged them on we too possess that same fault.  It becomes a reality check on pointing ones finger and seeing three fingers pointing back at us.  Most of time, when we judge, we do so with little or no good information, and then we judge each other with attitude and agenda.  This is why God should judge and we should not.  This is why Jesus Christ says…

Luke 6:37-38 Judging Others

^{37 ,} “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; ³⁸ give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”

          However like Paul, we can judge our self, or maybe not, for Paul did not really judge himself, rather he was judged by God’s word.  We too are judged by God’s word and find that we are a sinner and like Paul we are numbered among the foremost of sinners throughout our life. 

I too have to look at myself every day and see my reflection in the mirror that God has placed before all of us.  The mirror that God has given us reflects our true image and is made of God’s laws that we break and misuse on a daily basis.  We even rewrite God’s laws and give them new definitions to justify our breaking them.  We even try to water God’s laws down and try to make them to be something not important enough to worry about.  No matter how hard I try God’s laws still reflect who and what I am, a foremost sinner just like Paul and just like you, and we are all still in the body of Christ.

1 Timothy 1:12–14 ¹²I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, ¹³though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, ¹⁴and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

          Acts 9:15-16 ¹⁵ But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. ¹⁶ For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”

          Paul was all that he judged himself to be or rather that the refection God’s laws portrayed him to be, and Paul accepted this image of himself to his humbleness and to His reward (1 John 1:8).  It seems odd that God say’s Paul will see how much suffering he will have to face for God’s name’s sake and Paul then thanks God for appointing him to God’s service.  After reading this I thank God too for appointing me to His service, for I know that God forgives me as He forgave Paul.  In fact we can all rejoice for God has called and appointed us all to His service and for the same purpose as Paul was appointed to serve.  We are called to be a functional part of the body of Christ, for His will setting our will aside.  God’s good and gracious will is…

1 Timothy 1:15–17 ¹⁵The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. ¹⁶But 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.

          God’s will for us is to share in the eternal life and relationship He has promised us and therefore witness to the world Matt.28: 18-20.  What did Paul say?  We have a God of patience.  We do have a God of patience and His patience is preceded by His grace and mercy. God has given us the greatest and best of His love through Jesus Christ who also suffered and died in service to His and our Father in Heaven.  It is the greatest show of love that Jesus Christ could show to those who came from His Father’s creation.  Jesus Christ shows His love for God by suffering the punishment for all sin and perfecting the means to give continued life to those whom God loves, you, we, us.  So we suffer in this world; our tears will be wiped away in the next world that is an eternal life and relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We can look forward to that perfect life, relationship, and joyful love, given as a gift from God’s heart.

Luke 15:10 ¹⁰Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

John 10:11 ¹¹ I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Amen in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen.