“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 1:6-7
We are encouraged in Scripture to use our gifts for God's glory. Apostle Paul teaches us, 'There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work' (1 Cor 12:4-6).
We see that Apostle Paul encouraged his 'spiritual son' Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God that was given to him through the laying on of hands. Today, spiritual gifts are still important to God so that we can see His Kingdom released on earth, but just as in Timothy's day, the gifts require us to play our part! It's so easy for us to stop operating in the gifts that the Lord has given us, allowing them to become dormant and set aside in our lives. Just like Timothy, we need to keep using our spiritual gifts and not allow fear and timidity to rob us of what God desires to do through us!
We can easily become distracted, discouraged, and disappointed, making our confidence to operate in our gifts increasingly more challenging until fear takes hold. Fear does not remove the gift; it removes our confidence to operate in the gift! As the writer of Hebrews says, 'Do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded' (Hebrews 10:35). We all have a part to play in the body of Christ. That's why Apostle Paul's instructions and description in his first letter to the believers in Corinth are so powerful and equally important for us today!
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Paul says, 'Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many." We all have an equal part to play, and we all have a vital job to do and must, therefore, use our gifts accordingly. In the same way our physical bodies need every part working and supporting every other part, so does the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit has given us gifts to serve and equip the church; we must remember that our gift is just as important as anyone else's. We can so easily forget that we are part of the body of Christ and start to compare ourselves to others, allowing jealousy to take hold.
Paul uses metaphors about feet, hands, eyes, and ears. He reminds us that God has placed every part in harmony, exactly where He wants them to be. What better place could we wish to be than where God designed us to be! God has placed you right where He needs you to be to play your part in the body of Christ successfully. Remember, Paul encouraged his spiritual son Timothy to fan into flame the gifts he had received, and another Bible translation says to 'stir up the gift of God.' To fan into flame means the flame has certainly not gone out, and to stir up means to stimulate what's already there! Today, fan into flame your gifts - no matter how significant you feel they are - and begin to witness what God will do through you!
