The
message of these verses can be summed up in this way:
Remember who you are,
rekindle the gift in you, don't be afraid. There is no shame in suffering when
it comes from trusting and obeying the Lord.
God’s message
to you and to me is:
Remember who you are,
rekindle the gift in you, don't be afraid. There is no shame in suffering when
it comes from trusting and obeying the Lord.
1. Remember who you are:
Notice in these verses that
Paul remembers who he is and he
reminds Timothy who he, Timothy, is:
Paul, an
apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life
that is in Christ Jesus, To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from
God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. I thank God, whom I serve, as my
ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember
you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be
filled with joy. I am reminded of your sincere faith, which
first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am
persuaded, now lives in you also.
We
are people who are in Christ, just as Paul and Timothy were.
We
have the promise of life that is in Jesus
We
have grace, mercy and peace from God
We
are people who pray
We
are people who cry
We
are people of faith
We
are people who have ancestors (This was quite relevant to Timothy, whom Paul
had circumcised as an adult because
he had a Jewish mother)
So,
remember who you are, and especially
who you are in Christ
Paul
goes on:
For this
reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through
the laying on of my hands.
2. Rekindle the gift in you
.................So I ask you to make full
use of the gift that God gave you when I placed my hands on you. Use it well......... That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the
embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the
inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of
the elders at your ordination]......Therefore
I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee
through the putting on of my hands.....
There is a God-given gift in you…….do you hear that?
The Holy Spirit, the ruach of God that hovered over the waters of creation, has hovered over you, and been placed in YOU....the Gift of God….in YOU
There is a God-given gift in you…….do you hear that?
The Holy Spirit, the ruach of God that hovered over the waters of creation, has hovered over you, and been placed in YOU....the Gift of God….in YOU
That Gift of God is, so to speak, in your hands
Imagine a
teaspoon of coffee placed on top of the hot water in a cup....perhaps add some
sugar....even some milk.....BUT DON'T STIR anything.....how would that taste?
Would you even try to drink it? If you did drink it, you would
probably…..
We must stir up the gift that is in us!
It makes me think of some of Jesus' words (in a different context, but the message is the same)
God is in
the habit of spitting out what tastes horrible…..He spat satan out of heaven,
He spat Adam and Eve out of the garden, in an amazing way He spat evil out of
His Kingdom and out of His people forever
on the Cross.
If the gift of God in you and in me is not stirred up, not re-kindled, not aflame, we are not a very pleasant taste in the Lord's or the world's mouth..... and we will find ourselves spat out by both.
If the gift of God in you and in me is not stirred up, not re-kindled, not aflame, we are not a very pleasant taste in the Lord's or the world's mouth..... and we will find ourselves spat out by both.
Remember
who and whose you are and….
Do you
know the gift (the Spiritual Gift, not the God-given talent or ability,
but the GIFT of God) that is in you…….and are you stirring it up, constantly
rekindling it, keeping it aflame….all to the glory of God and so that His
Kingdom may come and His will be done…..
This kind
of talk often makes people afraid, so Paul immediately goes on:
3. Don't be afraid
For the Spirit God gave us does
not make us timid/afraid/fearful, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.
This is
why God commands us 365 times in Scripture to “fear not”…..not because there is
nothing to be afraid of, but rather because in the face of fear….we have a power that is much greater than whatever
is coming against us, we have a love
that truly can overcome anything, anyone or any obstacle, even death, and we
have self-discipline/self-control as a fruit of the very Spirit that is within
us….which is why Paul started where he did in saying Remember who you are ….and so we’ve come a full circle.
Brothers and sisters, in the name of the Father,
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,….
Remember who
you are, rekindle the gift in you, don't be afraid.
