We Are Entrusted Ones

God entrusts us with the Gospel.

That gives us strength. Our identity must be linked to that trust and that good news and not what we have done before this moment. Our identity is a 'right now' identity.

If you read this next passage carefully you will see that Paul is not accusing people or justifying Himself. He is talking about the power of being entrusted with God's divine message for mankind.

"Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But 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. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." - 1 Timothy 1:8-17 ESV

The law was given for those who have an identity outside of faith but notice how Paul numbers himself inside that circle before he encountered the good news and then talks about grace overflowing toward him to give him a new identity that he embraced.

'Jesus came to save sinners.' is the trustworthy saying that is entrusted to us. A sinner is someone whose identity is outside of God and his Gospel.

Who am I? I am someone who God trusts with a precious message.

Grace overrides our worthiness or worthlessness. It overrides our state and status. Gender isn't an issue. Age, race or nationality are overshadowed by the trust.

"His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." - 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV

If you want to experientially escape the corruption that is in this world then evangelize the world.

A mailman is entrusted with our mail. His function is deliver our mail. He doesn't hold onto it forever.

We are given the Gospel to give it away. God trusts us to give it away. It isn't a demand. We don't strive or beat ourselves up. We just have a certain focus and we find that we will see miracles happen when we live this way. If we are passive about what we have been entrusted with then we will be influenced by the desires that caused us to have our former identities. God will always see us as who He has made us to be but our light will be under a bushel as we blend in to the world we live in. We will get caught in desires and cycles of confession where we sin and confess it again and again until we take on that sin as our identity and disqualify ourselves.

We have been given the grace message. That is our identity. We are sent ones like Jesus was a sent one before the cross. He was sent to Earth to save sinners and we are sent into the world to tell people about the grace gift that He came to give. Yesterday has no power over that. With knocking knees we open our mouths and suddenly the rut that we were in disappears. The words coming out of our mouth to give to someone else deliver us as we say them.

Do you have to go tell people? Are you less if don't go? The message is that 'Jesus came to save sinners.' You don't have to do anything. He has done it. He is the focus not us. God isn't going to think less of us or more of us. That is the message God places into our hands and commissions us to bring to the world.

Who are you? You are someone who God trusts with a precious message. You are precious and important. No one touches the circle of people in your life the way you do. What you have is needed.

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