A Charge to Keep I Have

Accept the wonder of your calling in Christ, and rediscover the joy of saying with conviction, “A charge to keep I have,” as you embrace the stewardship entrusted to you.

“This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare” (1 Timothy 1:18).

Being “charged” with a responsibility is a weighty matter. A charge is not an offhand suggestion or wish; it is a solemn duty. It is the delegation of a significant task to one who is ready to accept the accountability that goes with the assignment.

Paul’s charge to Timothy touches our hearts deeply. We’ve already noticed the text in 1 Timothy 1:18. In 2 Timothy 4:1,2, we hear a similar charge from the older man to his young coworker in the gospel: “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

And it was to the Ephesian elders that Paul made yet another memorable charge: “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:28,29).

Usually, a charge is made in the presence of witnesses and is often accompanied by a pledge made by the one being charged. This is a promise to fulfill the responsibility. I believe our “confession” before baptism amounts to such a promise. Confessing Christ, we accept His charge to be faithful in our discipleship. And thereafter, we are reminded to “hold fast our confession” (Hebrews 4:14).

If Christ is the One who entrusted this stewardship to us, we can never see it as anything but an honor and a privilege. It’s a joy to sing the words of Charles Wesley’s iconic hymn: “A charge to keep I have.” After what we’ve done, it is by grace that we can be God’s servants.

However, grace will carry us only so far. We won’t hear “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21) if our service has not, in fact, been “good and faithful.” God will supply the ability — yet we alone can make the choice to do what He has told us to do.

To serve the present age,
my calling to fulfill,
oh, may it all my pow’rs engage
to do my Master’s will.
(Charles Wesley)

Gary Henry - WordPoints.com