A Trustworthy Saying

In his letters to Timothy, Paul poured out a tremendous amount of spiritual wisdom and guidance. He knew the pressures his young disciple would be facing in leading new churches and new believers who were facing many of the same struggles that we face today. Throughout the letters, there are several core fundamental truths that Paul prefaced with the words: "Here is a trustworthy saying..."

In 1 Timothy 3:1 Paul writes, Here is a trustworthy saying: If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task. ---stressing the value and importance of leadership. In 1 Timothy 4:9-10 he continues, "This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance (and for this we labor and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe." ---reminding that our hope is based on Christ and Christ alone. Then in his second letter to Timothy, Paul writes, "Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; if we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself (2 Timothy 2:11-13) ---reminders that to deny Christ is to accept eternal death, that as believers we have an identity with Christ and assurance of eternal life and that our faithfulness will be rewarded by the One who is always faithful to us.

All of these trustworthy sayings should permeate our lives and our thoughts and none more so than the first one that Paul shared with Timothy: "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst (1 Timothy 1:15)."