Enter The Sacred Trust Loop

Scripture

12That is why I am suffering here in prison. But I am not ashamed of it, for I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until the day of his return.

13Hold on to the pattern of wholesome teaching you learned from me—a pattern shaped by the faith and love that you have in Christ Jesus. 14Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:12-14

Observation

The word for “entrust”  only appears three times in the New Testament — twice in this passage and once in 1 Timothy 6:20 (“Guard what has been entrusted to your care”).  The Greek word, parathēkē, was a legal deposit or entrusted treasure. In Roman and Jewish custom, it referred to valuables or documents given to someone for safekeeping. The key point I believe Paul was trying to make was that the recipient was not to use what was entrusted to them. Their one job was to guard it and return it in full when required.  So, Paul was trusting God with his soul, life, and ministry. The use of the perfect tense means this was a completed act with ongoing results. In other words, Paul was in prison but he wasn’t concerned for his own safety because that was in God’s hands.  God had entrusted Paul with the message of Jesus he was now passing on to Timothy. The use of the imperative in v.14 (“guard!”) reflects Timothy’s responsibility to actively protect divine truth. Paul’s concern was for Timothy to take what had been handed to him through the pattern or more accurately, blueprint, of faith as seen in the life and love of Jesus. How could Timothy accomplish this massive task? Only through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Application

This “trust loop” Paul describes is so powerful because it defines very clearly what we, as Christ followers, are supposed to do with our short time here on earth.  My life is in God’s hands for if I cling to it I will lose it. I’m not supposed to be running around trying to save myself because that’s God’s job. I’m supposed to be running ahead to make sure others are saved because God’s message has been handed to me. For example, when we had a fire in our neighborhood foothills last week we were on standby for evacuation.  One of the first things we grabbed was all of our important documents that had been sealed in a fire proof bag. Why? They had been entrusted to our care by our family. That wasn't fire fighters job, that was mine. As I was spraying down the hillside and house I was praying for our fire fighters to be able to stop the rapidly spreading wildfire. I knew our little water hose couldn’t keep us safe. I needed something much powerful and sure enough, the Holy Spirit covered what I had entrusted to His care. I trusted that the fire fighters would show up when called and they rushed in to guard and preserve our lives.

This trust loop means three things are true on both God’s side and mine at all times:

-Guarded (not tampered with or altered)- God guards me and I guard the Word entrusted to me by sharing it faithfully with others.

-Preserved (despite suffering or pressure)- God preserves my soul and I preserve those entrusted to me according to the pattern of faith and love in Jesus.

-Returned faithfully (as a good steward)- When Jesus returns as He promised I won’t be alone. I’ve promised that, through the power of The Holy Spirit, many will have received this message of the faith and love of Jesus.

Prayer

Jesus I’m so thankful for this reminder from Your Word. I can trust You with what matters most! Your track record is perfect and Your promises are true. I don’t have to live in anxiety and fear of the future because I know You hold me now and are coming back for me soon. I want You to know You can trust me too! I don’t want to break this loop. That was has been entrusted to my care, Your message of eternal life, will be passed on to as many people as possible in the time You’ve given me!  I’ve entrusted my life to You and You’ve entrusted Your life giving message to me.