Say it with me, "I'm the Best!"

Paul writes in 1 Timothy 1:15, "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."  I read this recently.  As I've skimmed this verse in the past, I've usually thought something like,

"Oh Paul.  Yeah, you knew you were the worst.  You drug around Christians to have them killed.  Bad dude."

But, something different came to me next after this reading.  You see, I hadn't connected this passage with Philippians 3:3-7 before.  In it, Paul says, "...put no confidence in the flesh---though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also.  If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more...[insert Paul's resume here]."  I finally realized that Paul isn't so much down on himself in his writings to Timothy as he is prescribing a thought to Timothy, and ultimately, to me.

You see, Paul is saying that I should follow the thought, "I am the foremost sinner" because of the next verse.

"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."

I'm a sinner.  You're a sinner.  We're the worst (or you could say the best at sinning).  Believe it.  Believe it because it's true, and because we can rejoice that Jesus is displaying his patience with us and through us.