Devotional Moment with Dr. Houston: Are you guarding the gift of the Gospel in your life?

O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” (1 Timothy 6:20 ESV)
Paul wrote his first letter to Timothy when he, Timothy, was in Ephesus.  As Timothy taught the Gospel there, false teachers had arisen that were adding to it, changing it.  At the end of his letter Paul warned Timothy to “guard” what had been “entrusted” to him.

Timothy was to guard the Gospel, the good news of our salvation through Christ. In fact, Paul mentioned this again in the second letter he sent to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:14). This was most certainly a matter of importance to Paul and should be important to us as well.

You see, our faith in the Gospel is a gift from God (Ephesians 2:8) and not only is it a gift, but it is a costly gift (John 3:16). Naturally, when we receive a costly gift we keep a close eye on it. But often times we forget what a treasure we have received in the gift of salvation, and don’t guard it as Paul instructed Timothy to.

In some cases, guarding this gift is defending the true, biblical Gospel, and confronting a false, unbiblical Gospel. For instance, confronting false teachers who preach that God is our spiritual genie, and we must simply “rub” the lamp of prayer and He will give us what we want. Other instances may be far more personal, such as confronting sin in our own lives.

We have been changed by this Gospel and have become new people, fight the good fight when temptation arrives and seeks to steal what has been entrusted to you (1 Timothy 6:12).

Are you guarding the gift of the Gospel in your life? 

“Excellence Is Never An Accident”

Pastor Kirk Houston