2 Timothy 1:12-14, “But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.”
Knowing whose you are should get us through every day because of whom we have believed and put our faith and trust in is the key. We need to remind ourselves, as we intimately know, as Paul did, that “whom I have believed” will get us through any dark, gloomy dungeons of life. God’s provision, His protection, His power, His glory, His healing of broken relationships, ever-present, giver of peace, battle fighter, and our good Shepherd gives one boldness in being a light for the gospel and gives us joy. I underlined the word “whom” in this verse in my Bible to help me remember that when my faith falls short and doubts creep in, I need to refocus on the Who. We have an enemy that wants us to forget that we are God’s child, we belong to Him, and when we feel we don’t know who we are, those thoughts are not from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Because of what Christ did on the Cross for us, how could we not trust Him? That is what Paul lived out and was teaching in 2 Timothy.
Paul knew and loved God so well that any amount of faith, even weak faith, gave him confidence in the sufficiency of God’s protection. I ask myself, am I edging God out (EGO) in any way in my thoughts and emotions attached to my circumstances? Paul taught much about giving grace, forgiveness, and encouragement to others, as God has shown us because of His love for us. We all will have problems and setbacks, but we have Romans 8:38-39 to keep close: “For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
My questions to God and conversations are:
- What do you want to show me today about You?
- What do you want me to understand that I didn’t know before because of who You are?
- How can I better faithfully guard the light You have inside of me that needs to be better shown no matter my circumstances?
- Show me your approval is my prayer from Psalm 90:17.
Jesus is the only audience we need approval from in making any life decision. I recently saw a man with a t-shirt on that said, “I am famous enough. I seek only God’s applause.” That is something to pause and reflect. My question to myself is, where am I today versus where God would have me be, in my relationship with Him?
The Message says 2 Timothy 1:12-14 this way: “This is the Message I’ve been set apart to proclaim as preacher, emissary, and teacher. It’s also the cause of all this trouble I’m in. But I have no regrets. I couldn’t be more sure of my ground – the One I’ve trusted in can take care of what he’s trusted me to do right to the end. So keep at your work, this faith and love rooted in Christ, exactly as I set it out for you. It’s as sound as the day you first heard it from me. Guard this precious thing placed in your custody by the Holy Spirit who works in us.”
Listen to Chris Tomlin’s Lyric Video I See You. April 5, 2022.