Timothy was called to preach and was a pastor. What Paul wrote applies to us all. It was written brother to brother, Christian to Christian. He wrote about our relationship with the Lord. In the midst of it all, life seems to go from one suffering to another, from one problem to another. We look back years ago and may call them the good old days, but the devil was there bothering us then too. When I look back at diaries I used to write in the late 70’s I see things I used to talk to the Lord about—the problems I was going through. I can flip forward 10 years, and I wrote about the same type of problems that I did in the 70’s. Now I’m an “old man” and I still go through the same type of things. However, our life doesn’t consist of all darkness and suffering. It’s not all been bad. There has been something in our life that has kept us going. Paul calls it that good thing.
II Timothy 1:14 That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
Paul summed up in one short phrase the expanse of what it means to be a Christian. The Lord has given us that good thing. He’s not just given it to us; he has committed it to us. In verse 12 Paul said for the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. He didn’t get so caught up in the things he suffered that he forgot about the Lord. Paul suffered constantly. He had failing eyesight, but he didn’t let it become his excuse to get out of his commitment to the Lord. He was not ashamed because he knew something. He knew that the Lord was able to keep what he had committed to him. No matter how hard life was, God was able even if Paul wasn’t. God doesn’t get down when get down.
Paul turned around and told Timothy that he was confident that the Lord would honor his trust. He had committed something wonderful to him—that good thing. Regardless of how hard life might be, the reason we can stay faithful is due to God’s faithfulness. Tomorrow may unload on you, but Paul said you can face it because God has come through. Verse 7 says for God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. We have an empowerment that is real and not just an attitude. We live in a world that is opposed to God, but we have God’s Spirit. The world can scare and intimidate us, but we have something better, a Spirit of power, of love and a sound mind. This is not about self-empowerment. That will last only a short season. Spirit-empowerment lasts a lifetime. Indeed, we have a life full of the power of God, and that changes lives.
Afflictions and hardships will come. The Lord was afflicted. The same power that brought him out of the tomb will roll our stones away too. Regardless of how life treats you, regardless of how people treat you, you can rejoice because you’re saved. That’s better than any achievement. It’s a holy calling through grace and mercy. We commit our faith to God. He commits to us. We are the receivers of his calling. We’re part of his grand purpose. The devil would have us feel we’re on the short end of the stick. We have an advantage because of the Lord. We have that good thing. Jesus saved us. He called us out. He gave us purpose. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers us out of them all. Whatever we face, we have a deliverer. He has delivered. He delivers. He will deliver. Jesus never stops being our Savior, our Deliverer.
Don’t focus on the down side. There is something good in your life. It was committed to you by the Lord. Take care of your commitment to the Lord. Keep it by the Holy Ghost. It is not by your own might or skill; it is by the presence of God, the presence of the Holy Spirit is that good thing.
Jesus is still the same today as he was years ago. He’s not broken down. That good thing that blessed us way back when is still good today. With the Lord, whatever happens in life, we have that good thing. Ask the Lord to show you how to better keep what he’s committed to us.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 