Read 1 Timothy 1:12–20
The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along
with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:14
The grace of God turned the persecutor into a preacher, and the murderer into a minister and a missionary! So dramatic was the change
in Paul’s life that the Jerusalem church suspected that it was a trick,
and they had a hard time accepting him (Acts 9:26–31). God gave
Paul his ministry; he did not get it from Peter or the other apostles
(Gal. 1:11–24). He was called and commissioned by the risen Christ
in heaven.
God saw that Paul was faithful, and so He entrusted the gospel to
him. Even as an unbelieving and gospel-ignorant Jewish leader, Paul
had maintained a good conscience and he lived up to the light that he
had. So often those who are intensely wrong as lost sinners become
intensely right as Christians and are greatly used of God to win souls.
God not only entrusted the gospel to Paul, but He also enabled Paul to
minister that gospel (1 Cor. 15:10; Phil. 4:13).
Something to Ponder
In what ways are you entrusted and enabled to minister the gospel?