2 Timothy

December 13

2 Timothy

If you have ever been around a fireplace, a woodstove, or even a camp fire, you know that after burning for a while the fire dies down and the wood glows red.  If you throw more wood on the pile, it may just sit and smolder and smoke. But if you fan the flame, if you blow on it or get a billow and add air to the embers, fire ignites the new wood and spreads with fresh power.

Paul writes to Timothy; "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 God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." (2 Timothy 1:6-7, NIV) Just as we have to fan into flame the embers in a fire, we need to fan into flame the gift of God which is in us. We need to feed the fire of the Holy Spirit; we need to open ourselves up to the Word of God so He can breathe new life into us.

As we go through the trials of life, it is easy to get burnt out or just get complacent. We need refreshing by the Holy Spirit. We get that refreshment through worship, bible reading and prayer. God is the provider of the refreshing; we just have to allow Him to work. We have to remember we have the power of God dwelling in us if we are followers of Jesus. That power enables us to love others and to live lives of obedience and righteousness in the presence of God.

Fan the flame. Allow God to move in your life and watch the fire spread in your life and in the lives of the people around you.