Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Do you remember who you were? The old you. The version of you that didn't have boundaries. The version of you that was kind of cringey. The one who made all the mistakes and blamed it on somebody else. That version. Yeah, I know that version of me too. When I think about him, I don't want to dwell there.
Paul's Backstory
Today's Verse of the Day actually shows us how we can repurpose the old versions of us for God's glory. It comes from 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 14. It says, "Oh, how generous and gracious our Lord was! He filled me with the faith and love that come from Christ Jesus."
Paul is writing this letter to Timothy and he's going down memory lane. A few verses prior to this one, he actually starts talking about all the things he remembers about his old self. He was somebody who blasphemed God—which means he said a lot of things he shouldn't have. He actually was a murderer. He killed people, and he believed that he was doing it for God's glory.
Then after all of these things, he says that he did them ignorantly. He didn't realize that what he was doing was wrong—until Jesus stepped into his story.
Facing Your Old Self
We are in a position where we face our old selves maybe on the daily. You look in the mirror and all you see is what you've done. All you can remember are the mistakes that have been made.
Imagine being in Paul's shoes. He's somebody who is now being used by God to do amazing things. He says it's because of the grace of God, the faith and the love from Jesus that he's even able to step into the ministry that God had for him.
With a past like that, it would be really easy to get distracted or to even discount himself.
Your Past Cannot Define Your Future
Maybe you feel that way. You know that God has something for you. You believe it. But everything you've done and everything you think about yourself keeps you from stepping fully into what God has for you.
I want you to hold on to this: Who we were cannot keep us from what God has for us to be.
What Does It Look Like?
What does it look like to come to God in light of all of your past mistakes? We remember that God used a murderer, a blasphemer—a terrible guy who misrepresented Jesus in every way—to bring the Gospel to unreached people groups. The church grew because of Paul's ministry.
We have to believe that God doesn't want us to stay stuck in our old selves. He wants us to lay that person to rest and step into the new life that Jesus promises to us.
Paul as an Example
Paul even says later that he is the chief of sinners. He makes himself out to be the worst of the worst. Not to stay there, though. He's actually using himself as an example for Timothy and also for us. He's saying, "If God can use this—everywhere I've been—He can do something with you too."
Don't let your past dictate where God wants to take you.
Practical Steps Forward
If you don't know what to do, start by just asking Him. Sit with Him in a moment, separate from the world. Separate from the distractions. Put your phone away. Open the Bible. Maybe just sit in silence and say, Lord, what do You want me to do?
A follow-up question to that could be, Lord, what are the things I'm believing about myself that I shouldn't? What are the identity pieces that I'm holding on to that are keeping me from stepping fully into the ministry that You have for me?
God Will Give You Clarity
When you ask Him, He'll give you clarity. When He shows you the areas of your life that are identity pieces that don't need to be there anymore, dare to believe that God will take them and replace them with how He sees you.
We Don't See Paul as His Past
When we look at Paul now, we don't see him as somebody who is just taking the Lord and running Him through the mud, or putting people down or beating people or none of those things. We don't see him as that.
We see him as a man who was submitted to Jesus to the point of laying his own life down for the furthering of the Gospel, because he believed in the good news of Jesus. He wasn't what he did. He was who God said he was.
Hold On to the Truth
Hold on to the mercy and the love and the grace that Jesus offers you. Any time you're tempted to be distracted by who you were, look at who Jesus says you are and hold on to the truth that'll keep you going.
