July 23rd, 2020
Bill Yerkes, Assistant Pastor
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. 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. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7
2nd Timothy represents Paul’s letter to young Timothy, a pastor, teacher, and leader he mentored. Paul reminded Timothy of his lineage of faith passed on from his mother and grandmother. And then he encourages him to “fan into flame” God’s gift within him. Paul knew Timothy had a gift, and he wanted him to continue to use his gift to further the kingdom of heaven.
Recently our family was on vacation. It is tradition for us to one night have a fire on the beach. Andrew dug the hole, I piled the logs over the kindling, and then Andrew lit the fire. We watched patiently as the fire took on a life of its own and became mesmerizing. As some fires do, this one would occasionally appear to be extinguished. The flames would disappear, but along the edges of the logs you could see the burning embers glowing orange. On the beach, there is never a need to stoke the fire, because the wind does it for you. Suddenly, without warning, flames shoot up from the glowing logs. What appeared to be a dying fire, still had life in it because of what was burning on the inside.
Paul wanted Timothy to utilize his faith and his gift as a speaker and leader to bring others into a relationship with Christ. Paul wanted Timothy to continue to feed his faith and practice his gift to become all God created him to be. Paul also reminded Timothy not to be timid about it, because God gives power through the Holy Spirit, love unlike anything the world has to offer, and the ability to discern His will and be disciplined in our journey of faith.
What does your fire look like today? For those not sitting close to our beach fire, when there were no flames, it appeared there was nothing there. But when the wind fanned the fire into flame, the fire was evident to those around us. Is your fire evident to those around you? Where is God challenging you to “fan into flame” what He has given you? When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are given a boldness to proclaim what God has done for you, the power to overcome the enemy’s attempts to take you down, and the love and self-discipline to serve a world hurting and in need.
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. 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. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 2 Timothy 1:5-7
2nd Timothy represents Paul’s letter to young Timothy, a pastor, teacher, and leader he mentored. Paul reminded Timothy of his lineage of faith passed on from his mother and grandmother. And then he encourages him to “fan into flame” God’s gift within him. Paul knew Timothy had a gift, and he wanted him to continue to use his gift to further the kingdom of heaven.
Recently our family was on vacation. It is tradition for us to one night have a fire on the beach. Andrew dug the hole, I piled the logs over the kindling, and then Andrew lit the fire. We watched patiently as the fire took on a life of its own and became mesmerizing. As some fires do, this one would occasionally appear to be extinguished. The flames would disappear, but along the edges of the logs you could see the burning embers glowing orange. On the beach, there is never a need to stoke the fire, because the wind does it for you. Suddenly, without warning, flames shoot up from the glowing logs. What appeared to be a dying fire, still had life in it because of what was burning on the inside.
Paul wanted Timothy to utilize his faith and his gift as a speaker and leader to bring others into a relationship with Christ. Paul wanted Timothy to continue to feed his faith and practice his gift to become all God created him to be. Paul also reminded Timothy not to be timid about it, because God gives power through the Holy Spirit, love unlike anything the world has to offer, and the ability to discern His will and be disciplined in our journey of faith.
What does your fire look like today? For those not sitting close to our beach fire, when there were no flames, it appeared there was nothing there. But when the wind fanned the fire into flame, the fire was evident to those around us. Is your fire evident to those around you? Where is God challenging you to “fan into flame” what He has given you? When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are given a boldness to proclaim what God has done for you, the power to overcome the enemy’s attempts to take you down, and the love and self-discipline to serve a world hurting and in need.
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