Guaranteed deposits ∙

Guaranteed deposits ∙

For I know the one in whom I have put my faith, and I am convinced that he has the power to keep for that day what has been deposited with me. – 2 Timothy 1:12

Luke 12:42-48

 42 And the Lord replied, “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.”

 43 “If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.”

 44 “I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns.”

 45 “But what if the servant thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk?”

 47 “And a servant who knows what the master wants, but isn’t prepared and doesn’t carry out those instructions, will be severely punished.”

48b “When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more, will be required.”

On June 16, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., or FDIC. The FDIC was established in the early years of the Great Depression after thousands of banks failed, resulting in about $1.3 billion in losses to depositors.

The act raised the confidence of the U.S. public in the banking system by alleviating the disruptions caused by bank failures and bank runs. The FDIC insures bank deposits: checking, savings, money market accounts, certificates of deposit, or CDs, for up to $250,000.

Perilous times, business failures, and bank failures disrupt and unsettle people’s lives and create fear and dread. To turn things around, a radical intervention is required.

What the Father has done for the children of the King is to provide confidence and overcome fear and dread. Is the Father capable of intervening and establishing stability? Does He have the resources? Can He be trusted?

The apostle Paul answered all these questions for all time. Paul knew the Father intimately.

2 Timothy 1:12 For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he has the power to keep for that day what has been deposited with me.

The Greek word translated as know is oida. Oidahas the basic sense of perceiving or seeing, hence know. It is in the Greek perfect tense. The Greek perfect tense involves an action that occurred in the past, and the results continue into the present. Paul has come to know the Father, and their relationship continues to the present day.

This knowing comes through person-to-person experience. It requires a close and intimate relationship. When we get to know the Father in such a firsthand way, respect, appreciation, deserved recognition, understanding, and high regard automatically flow.

Simply stated, to know Him well is to trust Him completely.

Paul’s statement is pointed and emphatic; I know whom!The impact of Paul’s statement would have been significantly reduced if Paul had said ‘what’ instead of ‘whom’ (Guthrie).

2 Timothy 1:12 For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he has the power to keep for that day what has been deposited with me.

Whom “I have believed” is translated from the Greek verb pisteuo, which means to believe, to entrust, or put faith in. It is also in the Greek perfect tense. Thus, it has the sense, “I have believed with the present result that my faith is a firmly settled one.” It is like hammering a nail through a board and clinching it on the other side. It is there to stay. So, Paul’s faith was permanently placed in his Father God. His faith was immovable (Wuest).

2 Timothy 1:12 For I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he has the power to keep for that day what has been deposited with me.

The Greek term translated as convinced, persuaded is peitho. Peitho means to persuade, to have confidence, and to be convinced. It is also in the perfect tense in Greek. He is utterly convinced and is continuously reassured.

As children of the King, how are we able to not live in fear and dread and have great insecurity regarding the future? Paul’s answer is to get to know the Father and spend time with Him. Getting to know Him as a person will inevitably develop trust and confidence.

Most of us know people who take over a room when they enter. Their presence automatically engenders respect and confidence. Suppose that person was a close personal friend. How would that change things for you? Suppose that person was your heavenly Father.

Paul had just that type of personal face-to-face relationship with the Father. The result was that Paul was totally persuaded regarding the character and integrity of the One in whom He had believed. Trust was no longer an issue. He had complete and total confidence in his Father God.

“His certainty did not come from the intellectual knowledge of a creed or a theology; it came from a personal knowledge of God. He knew God personally and intimately; he knew what he was like in love and in power; and to Paul it was inconceivable that he should fail him” (Barclay).

REFLECT & PRAY

Knowing the King of the universe can make all the difference for each child of the King. Because the King of the universe is our Father changes everything. But only if we know Him intimately.

Father thank You that I can trust You totally, encourage me to do just that with all things. Encourage me to get to know You better and better.

INSIGHT

But there’s something far more important than our bank accounts, certificates of deposit, and investments. The Father is not a bank in whom we place our deposits. We do not invest in Him. Instead, just the opposite is true. He has invested in us.

He has deposited in us great riches from his infinite reserves! He has the power to keep and protect what has been deposited within us. What is the nature of that deposit? He gifted us with untold resources and treasures. He gave us our minds, abilities, and personalities. He arranged our life experiences from before the foundation of the world. He gave us our spiritual gifts and provided opportunities to serve. With such riches come responsibilities and guaranteed results.

Each child of the King is responsible for investing and managing wisely. He expects us to be prudent, diligent, industrious, and tenacious. The two extremes of fearful conservativism and foolish, wasteful profligacy are to be avoided.

“Those who have heard and confessed Jesus as Lord are blessed above all others and may expect a wonderful future filled with privileges and even greater responsibility when Jesus comes to fully establish the kingdom of God. However, those who know fully well what Jesus demands and do not do His will receive greater punishment than those who never knew what was demanded. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded” (Black).

Have you buried the treasure He deposited within you? Have you wasted it on mere earthly pursuits? Or have you invested it wisely in the Father’s Kingdom and His pursuits? It is never too late to get with a judicious and farsighted spiritual investment counselor and reallocate your treasure portfolio.

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