Guarding What Has Been Entrusted

“O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you…” 1 Timothy 6:20.

“Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.” 2 Timothy 1:14.

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” 2 Timothy 2:2.

How are we doing in terms of guarding what has been entrusted to us in Christ? As Paul looked back over his decades of service to Christ, as he contemplated that which Christ had entrusted to him, “…the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted” (1 Timothy 1:11), his heart’s desire was that Timothy would guard that trust which Paul had passed on to him, and that Timothy in turn would pass that trust on to others.

But where are the faithful men? How are we guarding that trust…if indeed we have received the glorious Gospel?

I do wonder what we have received, and I wonder what we are passing on. Is it some kind of church culture? Some kind of “Christian” culture? It is a syncretistic blend of the Bible, marketing, sociology, entertainment, and nationalistic fervor?

Would we show up on Sunday mornings if all that we had was Jesus Christ without the trappings? Is Christ in His Word and the Holy Spirit enough? Might we experiment one Sunday and see what would happen if we didn’t serve the yams and mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce and green beans and pumpkin pie? Would we still return the following Sunday?

Are we entrusting the glorious Gospel to others who can (and do!) teach others? Were  our Bibles to be confiscated has the Gospel become incarnate in us so that we can teach the Gospel without missing a step? Or does Christ remain in a painting, does He remain on a page in the Bible, does He remain in a commentary?

Are we sowing the Gospel into the lives of others so that they may guard it and entrust it to others? What are people hearing and seeing in our lives? Are we living Gospels?

What do the treasures of the Gospel of Christ look like in our lives? Are we entrusting those treasures to others?