Our Keeping – Part 2

“That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.” 2 Timothy 1:14

We’ve been talking about keeping. Yesterday we looked at whether we know God well enough to be persuaded that He is able to keep whatever we entrust to Him, from 2 Timothy 1:12.

Now, two verses later, we see the word “committed” again. In the first case, we commit things to Him to keep. In this verse, He commits things to us to keep.

This Scripture was Paul writing to his protégé, Timothy, exhorting him how to be strong in his faith and to live victoriously in Christ. He was reminding Timothy that certain things, or perhaps one certain thing, had been entrusted to him to keep. The power and ability to do so would come from the Holy Spirit who dwelled in him.

We don’t know everything that had been committed to Timothy to keep. But we can certainly look at our own lives and ask what God has committed to us. What He gives, He expects us to keep. And not only to keep it, but to nurture it, build it up, “stir it up” (as in 2 Timothy 1:6) and bring forth fruit.

What good thing has He committed to you? I can only speak for myself. He has given me a strong mind and the ability to use it well. He has given me certain gifts which I practice using as often as I am given opportunity, and which I see growing and bringing forth fruit. He has given (or should I say “developed”) in me a strong sense of right and wrong, the ability to be patient, a sense of humor, and a great love for His Word. He has given me a growing, working knowledge of Him. There are many more things I could add if I were to count up all the character traits He has worked into my life.

These things I consider to be His gifts committed to me. How do I keep all these good things? He means that I am to use them, to strengthen them, to feed them, to not let them lay wasted, dormant on the shelf. These things are clearly (to my eyes) Holy-Spirit empowered gifts. To my knowledge, I was not born with any of these.

Remember, the Holy Spirit dwells in you. He has also committed certain gifts to you. Have you ever taken time to consider all that He has given? Are you using these Spirit-empowered gifts for His glory and not your own? Are you developing and nurturing the things that were entrusted to you? Are they stronger today than they were last year? Or are they wasted and dormant? If so, dust them off. Do what it takes to revive what has died.

Lord, Your Word tells us to stir up the gifts which You have placed in us. We need Your help to identify these. We need Your Spirit to enable us. We need Your energy to accomplish this. Organize our circumstances to give us room to grow in these things, and show us how best to use them in ways that will glorify You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.