Focus

Are you tired? Take this time to rest. Relax every part of yourself. Breathe slower. Don’t be prideful or stubborn. Be ready for what God has before you today.

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Read

2 Timothy 1: 12b-14 (NRSV)

But I am not ashamed, for I know the one in whom I have put my trust, and I am sure that he is able to guard until that day what I have entrusted to him. Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.

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Reflect

“Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me…” I wish that I had had this standard when I embarked upon the Romeo and Juliet unit my first year of teaching. Try as I might, and I did try so very, very hard, I couldn’t get my students to care about Romeo and Juliet. To be honest, it wasn’t my favorite either. I just thought it was something students were supposed to read in 9th grade. It wasn’t until I started choosing texts that my students were legitimately excited about, that I saw a difference in their investment.

“Guard the good treasure entrusted to you.” God entrusts us with knowledge. That is good treasure. We know that God loves us. That is good treasure. We know that we can look forward to being with God, which is also good treasure. We feel happy that God trusts us with this knowledge, and we are invested in learning more about God’s love for us as a result.

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Pray

God, thank you for trusting us with the good treasure of knowledge. Help us to share this knowledge, and to reach the “standards of the sound teaching” that you have given us. Amen.

Go with God.