Safe Hands

Through the power of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, carefully guard the precious truth that has been entrusted to you. 2 Timothy 1:14 NLT

When something or someone is precious to us, we insist that anyone who will look after them must be a safe pair of hands. Do you remember the time and effort you took to ensure the babysitter you chose for your young child was safe? You would never take a risk with the precious gift of life that you were entrusted with.

We have the greatest gift in our salvation through the gospel of Jesus Christ. A free gift to all, and just for the asking, but to be fully effective, that gift needs to be in good hands. Paul’s instructions to the young preacher and pastor are unambiguous. They were clear and applicable then, and they remain the same today. Like Timothy, we who bear the name of Christ have been entrusted with the precious truth of the gospel, and that can only be fully effective and achieved through the power of the Holy Spirit.

If we look at this from another angle, what if you notice that this precious truth is NOT in safe hands, and as a result the gospel is seen by others as something contaminated, not to be trusted but to be avoided at all costs? What a high price is paid by those we love when some don’t have those essential safe hands for the precious truth of gospel! Just thinking out loud!

Thoughts

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

It’s only a thought. What harm can it do, and anyway, no one knows what I’m thinking! That’s how it usually goes, but how wrong. There is no doubt that thoughts are linked to our actions. After all, before we do something, we had the thought first. It stands to reason.

I was shocked and surprised to learn of the case of a young man who is in court charged as being a paedophile with shameful images on his computer. He hid this at the start so well, that many of his classmates didn’t know what he was like under the surface. This makes my heart cry out to the young folks of our generation. Don’t let your thoughts stray into dangerous places, imagining that no one will know or ever find out. The actions of this teen started out as a thought, and grew from there into horrifying action.

Please, guard your heart and mind and stay healthy inside your head. Don’t become trapped with the lie of the devil that it’s only a thought, and no one will ever know. Thoughts become a lifestyle, and your lifestyle becomes known to all. It may even land you in prison. The devil didn’t warn you about that, did he?

The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Jeremiah 17:9