The Vineyard Church

I love watching Survivor. I get this weird, comedic pleasure out of watching people fail to start a fire from scratch. They know they are going on Survivor. They know know they will need fire to survive. Yet, they do not learn how to start a fire. It might even be forgivable if they couldn't start the fire, but at least built the proper structure for one and attempted to start it.

It just boggles my mind.

The failure isn't so funny when you watch someone with a God-given gifting fail to fan it into flames. Or, because of their timidity or their lack of power, love, or self-discipline, they allow the flame to go out.

Paul knew that Timothy needed some encouragement. As the pastor at the Church of Ephesus, Timothy was faced with some daunting challenges. Paul didn't want his young protege to give up or wear out.

So Paul gives him some great advice, "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."

As a new Christian I had a lot of things I knew needed cleaned out of my life. I prayed and struggled, and still they remained. I asked God to help me...and it didn't seem like things changed. I kept asking...and nothing happened. One day I asked God, "Why aren't things changing? Why aren't you doing this for me?" He said, "I won't do it for you! I will do it with you."

God works with us...He won't do it for us. Oswald Chamber's in his classic book My Utmost for His Highest said, "God does not give us overcoming life; He gives us life as we overcome...If we will do the overcoming, we shall find we are inspired of God because He gives life immediately."

Paul knew God wasn't going to do the work for Timothy...Timothy had a role to play. Just like Timothy, we have to fan our God-given gifts into flames and step out in the power, love, and self-discipline that comes as we work with God to bring His Kingdom into our world.

Today, maybe you need to start fanning your gift...believing that as you do, God will empower it.

Eric Wright