REPOST Today’s AMI QT Devotional, provided by Pastor Charles Choe who leads Tapestry Church in Los Angeles, was first posted on June 14, 2014. Charles is a graduate of University of California, Riverside (BA) and Fuller Theological Seminary (M.Div.).
Devotional Thought for This Morning
“The Deposit”
1 Timothy 6:20-21
“O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge,’ for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.”
For guys who like to play basketball, it matters the kind of ball that is used. Back in graduate school, with a little effort, I was able to obtain for myself a decent leather indoor basketball. I cherished and used it sparingly. So when a friend asked to borrow it, I reluctantly gave it to him, thinking it would be returned quickly. But days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months, until I finally received it back. Disappointingly, it was no longer in the same condition, which rather disappointed me.
By using the word “deposit,” Paul is speaking to the solemn obligation that Timothy had to keep something of value in safe keeping, which was to be returned at another time. The deposit here that is “on loan” was not just to Timothy, but to the entire church. And this deposit is no other than the unadulterated gospel of Jesus Christ, which we are called to return in mint condition to the Lord on the Last Day.
This isn’t always easy given our time and culture. Because we do not seek to live in conflict with the people around us, we are always tempted to make the gospel inoffensive, for the sake of peace. But Paul clearly says that the gospel is a “stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Corinthians 3:6), suggesting that we if we preach and live out the true gospel message, the culture around us will inevitably be at odds with us.
How willing are you to be at odds with your culture? Are you willing to live by standards that are foreign to the world? When is the last time you took an unpopular stance because it was more consistent with the gospel of Jesus Christ? Consider if the deposit has been well entrusted in you.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for entrusting me with the gospel message. Help me to stand up to falsehood and for the truth. Give me boldness and courage to live out my faith in my workplace, at home, and among my friends. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: 1 Chronicles 1
Lunch Break Study
Read Colossians 3:12-14: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Questions to Consider
- What comes first, being chosen or having compassion, kindness, meekness, etc.?
- On what basis should we forgive other people?
- What binds all of the godly characteristics together? Would you say that you have made the love the primary goal of your life?
Notes
- We are always chosen first. This shows us that our relationship is based on grace.
- We ought to forgive those who hurt us because God first forgave us.
- Love is what binds us together. Apart from making love our primary goal, our lives are of little significance.
Evening Reflection
How is your love life with the Lord going? Would you say that your day with the Lord was full of love?