When I was younger I used to love basketball. I loved it so much I wanted to be a basketball player, just like Lisa Leslie. Needless to say, that didn’t happen. However, I still enjoy playing it from time to time. I remember playing it every weekend with my dad and my brother. We loved it so much, they eventually had to invest and buy us a goal. When we were out on the court I could understand and execute just about every concept. I could dribble, I could shoot, and I could pass. However, the one thing that was always difficult for me was guarding. It was hard for two reasons. The first reason being that everyone was bigger than me. I always played with all boys. I constantly complained about the seemingly unfair advantage they had. I felt that they could push past me, or keep driving forward even if I was guarding them. The second reason is because to be honest, guarding someone in and of itself is just hard. Your goal is to prevent someone from accomplishing their goal (no pun intended), and that’s difficult.
This past week during my quiet time I read 1 Timothy 6. The whole chapter was really good. Paul told Timothy of the things he should preach to the people. He warned him about false teachings, troublesome people, and how to hold fast to the truth about the Gospel. He then gives Timothy a final list of instructions, and in the end he says “Timothy, guard what God has entrusted to you.” (1 Timothy 6:20 NLT) That verse resonated with me so much. His word choice – guard. To guard something is in no way passive. I remembered how much effort it took to guard someone. This was the same way that God wanted us to guard the things He’s given us.
I feel as believers we sometimes see ‘guard’ and think ‘cherish’. We think ‘enjoy, cherish, or hold dear’ all that God has entrusted to you. When in actuality it means ‘prevent bad things from happening and the enemy gaining control of what God has entrusted to you’. Guarding produces results. “Under my watch I guarded this, and nothing was stolen.”
The Greek word used for guard in this passage is phylassō. It means
- To guard a person (or thing) that he remain safe;
- To keep from being snatched away, preserve safe and unimpaired;
- To guard from being lost or perishing.
- To guard one’s self from a thing
By these definitions we can see that guard in this context doesn’t just mean keep, or hide. It’s implying that whatever we’re guarding needs protection because something or someone is pursuing it. Our charge is to protect what God has entrusted to us. Phylassō is also used in John 17:12 when Jesus prays.
Jesus is praying as the time is nearing for him to be crucified. He prays to God for his disciples saying “During my time here, I protected them by the power of the name you gave me. I guarded them so that not one was lost, except the one headed for destruction, as the Scriptures foretold.” The NASB version states “and I guarded them and not one of them perished”
To guard something means that you have a plan of action. “I am doing this, so that this won’t happen.” This is how God wants us to guard the things he has entrusted to us. Like Jesus he wants us to guard these things so that none of them perishes. How are you guarding the truth of the Gospel that God deposited in your heart like Timothy? How are you guarding your kids? Your marriage? Your time? Your gifts? How are you submitting those things to Christ, and simultaneously guarding them from the enemy?
Sermons in Solitude 