Evening Prayer 1-29-11

Reading:

2 Timothy 1:1-18


Guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

Today, we begin reading from St. Paul's letter to Timothy.  Timothy was a disciple of Paul, who eventually became a Bishop in the Church.  St. Paul had a fond relationship with Timothy and will call him a beloved child.  St. Paul was Timothy's father in the faith.  That is quite a gift to have St. Paul as your father in the faith.  In his letter to Timothy, he warns him guarding the good deposit entrusted to him.  What is is this good deposit?

The good deposit that St. Paul is speaking of is the faith in Jesus Christ and His Gospel.  He spells this out to Timothy in verses 8-10.  In these verses St. Paul makes it clear that the faith is not about him, but rather about Jesus Christ and His perfect life and appearing and who abolished death and brought life and immortality to life.  This faith, a bold proclamation of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, who died for the sins of the world and rose again, must be guarded at all cost.  If we begin to allow new teachings into the Church, the Church will lose its ability to give a bold witness to the love of God as found in Christ Jesus. 

Part of this faith does involve suffering.  It is a incorrect to preach a "prosperity theology" to the people.  This theology effectually states that once you come to God, you will be healthy and wealthy.  God will give you all the good things in life.  It is also at times called "name it and claim it", so that we are the ones that are controlling God.  Jesus tells His disciples in his Gospel that the servant is not above the master. (Matthew 10:24)  If our Lord suffered for us and died, how can we expect anything better than Him.  The difference is in how we approach it. 

We may suffer, probably nothing compared to what St. Paul suffered, and he still responds that he is not ashamed of the testimony of Jesus because he knows whom he has believed.  We know that our Savior has conquered sin, death and the devil.  We may suffer in this life but we know that just as Jesus Christ was resurrected and glorified, so to shall we be glorified with Him if we stay in the true faith.  We must protect this faith at all cost and not allow people to remove the Good News of Jesus Christ as the way of Salvation. 

May God grant us faith in the face of suffering so that we may be bold to proclaim Jesus Christ as the victor King. Amen.