If I were to ask you what you consider most precious to you, the top answers would probably be your family (husband, kids, grandkids, parents and siblings), your health, your salvation. And if I asked you to pin what would be at the top of your list… the most precious of all, I would hope all of you would say “your salvation.” Your salvation secures your eternal life in heaven with Jesus, and in my mind, there’s nothing more important than that, right?
Well, I’m pretty sure I can pinpoint the two most precious things to God… the things that hold the most weight in His eyes, the things that are most valuable to Him… His Word and His people. In fact, every Kingdom work revolves around these two things. Every church, every ministry, every mission should be focused on these two things. I worked underneath an awesome youth leader when I was in college. Every activity we did… whether it was a Sunday night get together, a game night, a weekend getaway, an ice cream social… a devotional was always a part of it. Never once did we say good-bye to the kids without training them in God’s Word. This shaped my future ministry for sure.
Paul tells Timothy that God gave him the specific Kingdom work because He considered him trustworthy. In other words, God entrusted Paul to teach the Word of God and lead the people in the right direction. God entrusted Paul with His most precious things: His Word and His people. God knew that Paul would not disappoint Him. He didn’t do everything right, but he understood the value of these two things. Here’s the thing… God has entrusted each of us as well. This brings me to tears thinking about the work God put before me… to teach His Word and lead and love His people. He entrusted me to stay true to His Word and not deviate I consider it a GREAT honor and I will do my best to make Him proud.
God has given you a specific work… He’s brought people to you. His beloved people. No matter who it is… your neighbor, your grandkids, the homeless people you serve food to, the ones who show up for your small group, the people you minister to online… all these people are God’s precious ones. God has entrusted them to us… to speak truth into them, love them, lead them well, walk beside them, show them the way to Jesus. He believes that you will lead them by His Word. They may not listen or seem to not care, but we are to be faithful. Let’s treat God’s Word and His people with esteem and respect simply because they are what’s most precious to God.