The Long-Suffering of Christ

# 32 Today's Prime Time Devo comes from: 1Ti 1:16 Yet for this very cause I obtained mercy, so that in me, the chief of sinners, Jesus Christ might display all his boundless patience as an illustration for those who should later believe in him, and so gain life eternal. (1 Tim 1:16) Once again Paul states the fact that he and his ilk are the chief of sinners, and his ilk is that of self-righteousness. There is no more difficult conversion than the one who does not think he needs a physician. Jesus bore with Paul for a long time. He put up with the persecution of His followers, but when the time was right He met him on the road to Damascus and overpowered Paul with His grace. Let's revisit this list of sinners that Paul mentioned to Timothy in v9,10: The lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers of their own flesh and blood, sexual sinners, human traffickers, liars, etc, What a vile list, yet, there is one even more vile, the self-righteous one who thinks he is good enough to get into heaven. Do you understand this! There is no sinner that Jesus cannot save! And just as He was longsuffering with Paul, He was longsuffering with you and me, (or have you forgotten?) and He continues to be longsuffering with those who have not yet succumbed to His grace. This longsuffering trait of Jesus is mentioned again in 2Pe 3:9 where we read, “ but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any (and let me add here: Any lawless, insubordinate, ungodly, sinners, unholy, profane, murderers of their own flesh and blood, sexual sinners, human traffickers, liars, etc, and even the self-righteous) should perish but that all should come to repentance.” Do you fit into any of these categories? Jesus is patiently waiting for you to come to Him for forgiveness. He is waiting for you to come to repentance and faith in Him that you might gain eternal life! Receive Him, like the self-righteous Paul did as your Lord and Savior! If He can save Paul, He can save you, and any others who are still under the yoke of sin!