Entrust to Faithful People
November 5
Entrust to Faithful People
"And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."
— 2 Timothy 2:2
Today's Story
The discipleship chain in 2 Timothy 2:2 has four links: Paul, Timothy, reliable people, others. Paul received from Christ; he passed to Timothy; Timothy was to pass to reliable people; those reliable people were to pass to others. If that chain had broken at any link in the first century, the gospel might not have reached the twenty-first. The chain continues today: everything you have received in faith from faithful teachers, parents, mentors, and preachers is a deposit you hold in trust for those who come after you. The chain must not break at your link.
Reflection
2 Timothy 2:2 is Paul's instruction to Timothy about the sustainability of the gospel mission. The personal discipleship he describes — what you have heard from me, entrust to reliable others — is the basic mechanism by which Christianity has survived and spread. It requires two things: the willingness to receive (sit at the feet of faithful teachers) and the willingness to invest (deliberately develop reliable people). The person who receives without investing breaks the chain. The person who invests without first receiving has nothing to give. Both movements are essential. Who is pouring into you? And into whom are you deliberately pouring?
Today's Prayer
Lord, let me be a link in the chain — faithful in receiving what has been given to me and faithful in passing it to others. Let Your word continue through me to those who come after. Amen.
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