~ I am not ashamed, for I know
whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have
committed to Him until that Day. -2 Timothy 1:12
In
the chronology of the New Testament, Paul's second letter to his friend Timothy
is the last he ever wrote. Timothy was doing Christian work in the city of
Ephesus, but it was not easy. Just as Paul had anticipated (see #14 in this
series), a variety of struggles had developed among the Christians there, and
Paul's first letter reveals those troubles.
But
now Paul just wants to send some thoughtful words to Timothy himself. He tells
him, "I remember your faith. I know about your tears. God can replace fear
with confidence" (1:3-6).
Can
Timothy still believe that when Paul is held captive in a Roman prison? Paul
adds, "Don't be ashamed of God's testimony nor of me, God's
prisoner." And that leads into today's passage as Paul continues, "I
am not ashamed, because I know the One whom I have trusted. He is able."
We
might have said, "I am not ashamed because I think I have done my
best." But Paul's confidence rests entirely on the Lord, and he gives two
reasons why. First, the Lord is able to guard what Paul had committed to Him.
This term describes the idea of depositing valuables with a trustworthy friend
or a reliable temple official—a common practice in a time long before modern
banking.
Paul,
now about 70 years old, had essentially deposited everything with Jesus ever
since he became a Christ-follower. For the past 30 years Paul's reputation and
identity had been entwined with the name of Jesus. Yet Paul declares he had
never been ashamed of that decision, and he had never worried that his trust
would end in disappointment.
And
then, the second point goes further: Paul knew the Lord would guard his deposit
"until that Day." Bible
Christians were always looking for that future time when Jesus will set
everything right again. If Paul had been persecuted and whipped and imprisoned
and shipwrecked, would it be worth it? Yes! If our keeper is the Lord, the only
question will be why we didn't give Him more.
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