“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength to do his work. He considered me trustworthy and appointed me to serve him, even though I used to blaspheme the name of Christ. In my insolence, I persecuted his people. But God had mercy on me because I did it in ignorance and unbelief. Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them all. But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.”
I got my first trophy on a rainy day when I was nine. I was dressed in the goldish-yellow jersey, black shorts and overly-large shin guards of a young soccer player. My team had lost every game that year, and I had been one of the worst players on the team. I had barely earned my participation trophy.
In these verses, Paul speaks of himself as if he were a trophy. He sets up the idea by briefly comparing his life before encountering Jesus with his life after encountering Jesus. Beforehand he was insolent and a blasphemer. He persecuted Christians (capturing them to be murdered, in fact!). Through an encounter with Jesus his perspective changed, and he was empowered to continue the work that Jesus had started. He is now considered a trustworthy servant of Jesus. What a change! That change makes God look really incredible – it is a transformation that could only be accomplished with the aid of divine power.
Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus can use your story to bring himself glory. “Glory” simply means fame or recognition. When Jesus transforms your story from something painful or sad or broken into something whole, healthy and meaningful, it brings him great glory. You, like Paul, become a trophy. When I was nine, I received a meaningless trophy. It said nothing about my performance. The more your life is transformed, however, the more your life is a meaningful trophy. The change in your life can speak volumes about God’s greatness, his power, his love, his mercy, and how all of these things unite together to renew your life.