"Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you."
2 Timothy 1: 13-14
The second letter to Timothy is the last book that the Apostle Paul would pen. Paul knows that he is close to certain death; he is imprisoned in Rome awaiting execution. He is writing to his young protege Timothy, to encourage him to persevere in the gospel and to mature in his calling to preach, despite the suffering, persecution, and false teaching that surrounds him. Paul has laid the groundwork and the example needed for Timothy to follow in his footsteps. He has laid a foundation, showing what a life of authentically following Jesus looks like. In the scripture above Paul encourages Timothy to follow the pattern and the words that he has mapped out for his ministry. The way to do this authentically is to do so "in the faith and love that are in Jesus". Paul continues to exhort his young disciple to remain in the Holy Spirit and guard the deposit entrusted to you.
What exactly is this deposit that has been entrusted to Timothy? It is the deposit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but furthermore, it is the entirety of his Christian faith. Paul is stressing the importance of guarding your faith in Jesus. The encouragement to do this is so important because Timothy was facing a culture of opposition, persecution, and suffering.
Today we face similar issues in our culture and society. The world we live in, lives with an exact opposite worldview of those of us that follow Jesus. There are so many different distractions, lies, and deceptions that are after our attention, and ultimately, after our souls. The charge to "guard the good deposit", is so important and ever so relevant for Christians today. The definition of guard is to watch over in order to protect or control, in addition to, protecting against damage or harm. Think of a soldier guarding a king's palace. Not only is this soldier perfectly trained to do this job, but they would be alert, ready, and free of distraction from completing their duty. This is how we are to guard our faith. There is everything and everyone aimed at taking our attention away from our faith in Jesus. From government, to social media, to certain friends or family, our jobs, to really any thing that takes the place of us putting our faith first and foremost in our lives. We have to ask ourselves, do we really guard our faith they way we are called to? Are we really protecting the deposit of the gospel the way we protect our money, pride, our house, or even the way we protect or guard our own actions?
Today, take a good look at the things you fight to protect in your life. Do you fight to guard your free time to watch TV or relax, the same way you would fight to put the gospel first in your life? Understand the eternal importance the deposit of the gospel is for your life and soul, and take a considerable look at how you are guarding it. Pray and ask the Lord to give you the strength, perseverance, and the perspective needed to guard your faith today. Love you all! Praying for you and yours! Have a blessed day, it's your choice!
Comments
Post a Comment