Guard the Good Deposit

“What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.” (2 Timothy 1:13-14)

You are like a bank. If you have kids, you’ve maybe felt that way at times. Your kids come to you again and again, expecting you to have money stored up for them.

But you really are like a bank. Do you know who has deposited a great fortune inside you? God himself! What’s that valuable treasure? The sound teaching of Jesus that leads to faith and love in him.

Timothy was Paul’s student. Pastor Paul had poured into Timothy all the truths of God’s Word. He had taught him about sin and grace and faith and good works. He had taught him about God’s Word and salvation. Like you deposit your money in a bank, Paul had deposited God’s truth into Timothy’s heart.

When you deposit your money in a bank, what do you hope that bank will do with your money? Guard it! That’s exactly what Paul wanted Timothy to do: “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.”

Timothy—and all other Christians like you and me—are called on to preserve the truth of God’s Word. The truth of the Bible isn’t meant to end with us. It isn’t something for us to ignore or waste or trade away for the latest new fad. Just like a fraudulent bank or a foolish heir can waste a huge fortune in a matter of days, all it takes is one generation for the truth of God to be lost.

Do you realize the treasure that has been deposited inside you? To know and believe that you are saved by faith in Jesus Christ. That’s priceless! To know and believe that God loves you by grace—that God’s love for you doesn’t depend on your actions. That’s priceless! To have the peace of God’s forgiveness and the comfort of God’s presence and the hope of eternal life forever in heaven. That’s priceless!

Like a bank with money, guard the good deposit of God’s truth that was entrusted to you. Who is up for such a task? Thankfully, we’re not alone. We “guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.”

Dear Holy Spirit, in your grace, you have allowed the priceless treasure of God’s truth to be entrusted in my heart. Do not leave me. Never let me turn away from you. Help me guard that good deposit. Amen.

Pastor Nathan