He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals His thoughts to man, He who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is His name. Amos 4:13.

Look to Me…and be saved. Isaiah 45:22.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8.

We come to our new chapter, 1 Timothy 1, which in the notes said was written by Paul possibly around AD 64 after Paul’s first imprisonment. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope, To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith. But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. But we know the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.

How do we read what Paul writes? If we were to list all the sins of the lawless and rebellious people it would be of no benefit to anyone without acknowledging what Paul himself acknowledged. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all…Yet for this reason…I found mercy…so that in me as the foremost…Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life…Yet…I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief…and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. Before Jesus Himself stopped Saul (Paul) from persecuting Him, Paul didn’t realize he was acting ignorantly. He was convicted he was right in his service to God. We are living today in a culture of blame and judging and blaspheming everything. And it’s easy to get caught up in all of it. There is a better way. Walk beside God trusting Him. As we keep our eyes on Jesus we see hope and One we can trust to know the way that leads to life eternal with Him and one another now and forever. With His help in us, we can’t be harsh toward others as we see the beam of judgment taken out of our own critical eyes, the hardness and anger gently and patiently removed from our own hearts. Jesus, the Son, undertook that from before the Creation that He would bring us to the Father’s love for us with the Spirit’s help and guidance. As I look to Jesus, the useless clutter of all that surrounds and presses in falls away. And He is able to teach us love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. He, Creator God, is able. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding…Do not be wise in your own eyes. In all your ways acknowledge Him, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil…and He will make your paths straight and bring healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Something amazing happens as we turn to Creator God in trust and hope. A heavy burden pressing us down into despair is lifted. A beginning that enables us to walk with Him and see what is real and true. Creator God is the Healer of all our sins – that we walk in sin no more. He is willing and able for each one of us. The question remains, are we willing to let Him.