English
Scripture Summary
2 Timothy 1:13-14 NIV
13 What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus. 14 Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us.
Reflection on the Scripture:
“You are what you eat” serves as a reminder to be cautious about what you consume; an overweight person’s condition is undoubtedly connected to their diet. Similarly, the proverb “You reap what you sow” is a comparable warning. These visible truths are meant to help people understand the needs of their spiritual life.
The apostle emphasizes here how to nurture and protect this spiritual life. A newly saved life is like a newborn baby entering the world—it has no merit of its own. A baby’s life comes from its parents, just as spiritual life is born entirely from God’s sovereignty and grace. God gives the faith needed to those He has chosen. This precious life requires human effort in cooperation with God to protect and nurture it.
The apostle Paul highlights that the nourishment for this life is the Word of God, the truth he continually preached (2 Timothy 1:13). This is the sustenance for maintaining spiritual life. The psalmist says, “But whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers” (Psalm 1:2–3). Jesus Christ explains it most clearly: “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life” (John 6:63).
God knows the weakness of human forgetfulness, so He sends the Holy Spirit to help believers remember His words (John 14:26, 16:13). This new life will inevitably face significant challenges. To hold fast to the Word, believers must rely on the faith and love found in Christ Jesus—faith and love modeled after Jesus Christ Himself.
Jesus fully understood His identity as the Son of God. His faith kept Him from succumbing to Satan’s temptations (Matthew 4:1–11), and His love enabled Him to say, even while nailed to the cross, “Father, forgive them” (Luke 23:34). A steadfast spiritual life is not built on miracles or effortless blessings; it requires effort, perseverance, and abiding in Jesus Christ (John 15:5).
Have you received this new life?
Are you nurturing and protecting it?
Do you regularly partake in the bread of life?
How are you practicing the faith and love of Jesus Christ?
Response through Hymn:
Trust and obey
https://youtu.be/KB4KcleYiWM?si=niDRScMHTbZHRjt1
堅固磐石
https://youtu.be/lFfx3_7oG_8
祢的话
https://youtu.be/pM4ydX5XN9U
Thy Words
https://youtu.be/a6LC8cu03Ig?si=HJ9OSpFVCzx3fHkL