O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust…
I Timothy 6:20
I have heard the story of a young servant who was summoned to the palace of his king in the late hours of the night. It was unusual for the king to make such a request at that hour, so the servant knew the call must have been one of gravity. As the young man arrived at the gates he noticed the distressed look upon the faces of his fellow serfs. He was hurried to the king’s chambers where he found the feeble king settled upon his bed, breathing deeply, and grasping an object in his hand as if it were the key to life and death. As the young man made his way to the king’s side, he immediately recognized the object, which the king was clinging to; it was the Kingdom’s Regal Sword. This particular sword had stood for many years as the symbol of the king’s authority to the throne. As long as a member of the royal family or a trusted associate possessed the sword, the dynasty would remain. The king knew the results of losing the sword or mistrusting it to an unworthy associate. If the day came that the sword fell into the hands of the enemy, the dynasty would cease to rule. The problem facing the king was that he had no heirs, his health was failing him, and soon he would succumb to the hand of death. He knew of one person to whom he could entrust the Kingdom’s Sword. As he took hold of his young servant’s hand, he laid the sword in his grip and said something like this, “Keep that which is committed to thy trust.”
I Timothy 6:20
I have heard the story of a young servant who was summoned to the palace of his king in the late hours of the night. It was unusual for the king to make such a request at that hour, so the servant knew the call must have been one of gravity. As the young man arrived at the gates he noticed the distressed look upon the faces of his fellow serfs. He was hurried to the king’s chambers where he found the feeble king settled upon his bed, breathing deeply, and grasping an object in his hand as if it were the key to life and death. As the young man made his way to the king’s side, he immediately recognized the object, which the king was clinging to; it was the Kingdom’s Regal Sword. This particular sword had stood for many years as the symbol of the king’s authority to the throne. As long as a member of the royal family or a trusted associate possessed the sword, the dynasty would remain. The king knew the results of losing the sword or mistrusting it to an unworthy associate. If the day came that the sword fell into the hands of the enemy, the dynasty would cease to rule. The problem facing the king was that he had no heirs, his health was failing him, and soon he would succumb to the hand of death. He knew of one person to whom he could entrust the Kingdom’s Sword. As he took hold of his young servant’s hand, he laid the sword in his grip and said something like this, “Keep that which is committed to thy trust.”
The apostle Paul whispered the same words to Timothy. He knew the day would come when he would no longer be alive to sound the warning against apostasy and blasphemy. He committed this task to Timothy and charged him not to drop the ball. Paul had deposited much into the life of Timothy and charged Timothy, not to let that deposit be voided by loose living or spiritual compromise. The same charge is being sounded throughout our generation. We are seeing the older men of God pass off of the scene. Yet, the young men who follow behind them have done everything but “keep that which was committed to our trust.” We have attempted to color the gospel a different color in order to be popular and in doing so, we have defiled that which God laid to our trust. Today, resolve to lift up high the old-fashioned gospel of Jesus Christ and “keep that which is committed to thy trust.”
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