February 8, 2023

2 Timothy 1:13-18  (HCSB)
Be Loyal to the Faith
13 Hold on to the pattern of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us, that good thing entrusted to you. 15 This you know: All those in Asia have turned away from me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he diligently searched for me and found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he obtain mercy from Him on that day. And you know very well how much he ministered at Ephesus.

Andy Nash
A deposit is something entrusted from one person to another person for safe keeping. It can also be something extremely valuable that one locks in a safe or pays to have protected in a vault. Paul tells Timothy to “guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you”. What is Paul talking about? He’s talking about the message of Jesus Christ that has been entrusted to Timothy. Paul is referencing the gospel and the good news of salvation through Christ that is much more valuable than any possession. Paul is telling Timothy to take hold of the baton of the message of Jesus Christ, keep it, guard it, cherish it and grow it so that message can be passed to the next generation. Our number one job as Christian is the transfer of the faith to the next generation. We are called to protect that same good deposit and share it with others. One amazing characteristic about this deposit is that the more you share it, the more it grows!