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Guard the Deposit Entrusted to You
I thank God whom I serve, as did my ancestors, with a clear conscience, as I remember you constantly in my prayers night and day.
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As I remember your tears, I long to see you, that I may be filled with joy.
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I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well.
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for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
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Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God,
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who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
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and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
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which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.
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Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
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By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.
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but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—
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may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.
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A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus
You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
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Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.
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No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.
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It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.
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Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.
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for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound!
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Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.
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The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him;
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and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
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who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.
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But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity.”
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Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable.
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Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work.