Hammer on Anvil '

According to the notes in my study Bible, 2 Timothy is a "bold, clear call for perseverance in the gospel in spite of suffering." Throughout the book, Paul exhorts Timothy to continue steadfastly in the faith, even as Paul approaches the end of his own life.

Paul begins this letter by thanking God for Timothy, and makes mention of Timothy's "sincere faith." Then comes our text for today:

"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 gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control" (2 Timothy 1:6,7).

Note that this passage begins with "For this reason..." For what reason does Paul encourage Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God? We have to look no further than verse 5. Because of Timothy's sincere faith, Paul encourages him to not be lax in using the gifts God has given him.

The Lord has whispered this verse to me on a number of occasions. Perhaps He has whispered it to you, as well. We all need to be reminded that our spiritual gifts will atrophy if they are not exercised.

Maybe you're reading this and wondering if you even have spiritual gifts. I have been there. I have sinned against the Lord so grievously at times that I was sure He could never use me.

Satan does that to us, my friends. We fail, and then he begins his litany of reasons why God could never possibly use you. That's why I'm so grateful that we have the Bible. It is rife with examples of God's people who blew it big-time, yet God used them in remarkable ways to further His kingdom.

David is a classic example. He is chosen over all his brothers to be king, and uses his position of authority to snatch another man's wife. He even has her husband killed, so he won't have to be reminded that she belongs to someone else. God, in His mercy, sends the prophet Nathan to confront David (2 Samuel 12). When David's eyes are opened, he doesn't squawk about how he's a victim of circumstance. He doesn't make any excuses. His only words are, "I have sinned against the Lord." His child died because of his sin. But did God stop using David because he failed? No.

David's life is a portrait of successes and failures. In the Psalms, David opens up about many of his shortcomings, and prays for God to forgive and restore Him (see Psalm 51 for David's prayer after he committed adultery with Bathsheba). How interesting, then, that God calls David a man after His own heart (Acts 13:22). God saw beyond David's pride and his fleshly appetites. He saw a man with absolute faith in God, and a man who loved God's law. More importantly, David was truly repentant when he sinned. That's big in God's economy, friends.

Now to the point at hand. Regardless of what you have done, God wants to use you. We are not informed in today's text precisely what gift Timothy was to fan into flame, but that doesn't  matter. First Corinthians 12 tells us that we are all given spiritual gifts, and "to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good" (verse 7). Together we comprise the Body of Christ, and each of us has a part in making sure the body is healthy.

Maybe you don't know your spiritual gifts. Or maybe you know you have a certain one or two, but have been reticent to use them. Whatever your situation, I encourage you to seek God about how He wants to use you. Educate yourself about spiritual gifts if you are unfamiliar with them. Most importantly, be available to God. He has engineered things such that the Body of Christ works like a well-oiled machine when we all do our part.

We have all probably, at some time in our lives, had to live with an untidy roommate. You know the kind. You come home from working a long shift, hoping for some sweet relaxation, only to find that your roommate is not at home and has left a mountain of dirty dishes in the sink. Before you can get yourself anything to eat, you have to start cleaning up a mess you didn't even make.

You go to do your laundry, and find wet clothing in the washing machine. Your roomie has done her laundry but neglected to put it in the dryer. If you want to wash your clothes, you need to first put hers in the dryer. Though you have verbally discussed dividing up chores, she repeatedly neglects to do hers. You don't want to enable her by cleaning up the mess, but you also don't want to live in a pig sty.

I was praying recently and asking the Holy Spirit to consume me, and it occurred to me that sometimes He feels like the clean roomie and I am the slob. Why? Because I ask Him to fill me and inhabit my body which is His temple, but I expect Him to move in with some rather unsavory roommates. Rather than cleaning house before He comes, I leave things as is and expect Him to live in the pig sty that is my life. "Here, Holy Spirit. Let me introduce you to my roomies: Anger, Bitterness, Ugly Speech, and Irritability." And then I wonder why He doesn't stick around.

See, my friends, the Holy Spirit is not given so that we can keep living the way we're living. God purchased us with the precious blood of His Son, and is the rightful owner of everything we are and everything we have. First Corinthians 6:20 tells us, "You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body." Before we ask the Holy Spirit to come and take control of our lives, we must be willing for forsake our own wills. It's a fair exchange: my life for the life of Christ in me, empowered by His Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is given to empower us to live like Jesus, but sometimes we desire His power or His gifts to enhance our own egos. For example, some people who speak in tongues think they are somehow more holy than Christians who don't. A gifted teacher may lack humility because he is constantly complimented about his gift. A woman with the gift of hospitality may become judgmental of others who don't share her love of having her home filled with people.

In all of these scenarios, it's obvious that the gifted people have lost sight of where their gift came from, and the reason it was imparted to them. Gifts and talents are never given so that we can lord it over those we don't think are as gifted as we are. They're not given so people can ooh and aah about what wonderful Christians we are. God pours things into us so that we can pour them right back out again, investing them in other people for the sake of His kingdom.

If you are feeling rather defeated today and wonder why your Christian life seems blah or powerless, examine your habits. Do you watch or read things that have little redeeming value? Do you play video games that glorify violence and gore? How is your thought life? These are all things that need to be cleaned up if we expect the Holy Spirit to take control of our lives.

If you feel like you need a fresh infilling of the Holy Spirit today, God is more than willing to honor that request. But first be sure the body you're asking Him to inhabit is a suitable home.

To begin today's blog,  let's look at the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The first part of the chapter is the parable of the foolish virgins who are not prepared to meet the Bridegroom when He comes. Then Jesus says:

It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: “Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.”

The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: “Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.”

The servant given one thousand said, “Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.”

The master was furious. “That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.”

“Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.”

Yikes. It's hard to read these words without asking yourself, Am I one of the "play-it-safe" servants? And I must confess that yes, I have spent a great deal of my Christian life playing it safe.  

Addressing the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30, J.I. Packer says the following:

“For what Christ has given us to use must be put to use; it is not enough simply to hide it away. We may apply this to our stewardship of the gospel. The truth about salvation has been made known to us, not for us simply to preserve (though we must certainly do that), but also, and primarily, for us to spread. The light is not meant to be hidden under the bushel. It is meant to shine; and it is our business to see that it shines. He who does not devote himself to evangelism in every way that he can is not, therefore, playing the part of a good and faithful servant of Jesus Christ.”

Yikes again. If we hide our light under a bushel, if we do not devote ourselves to sharing Jesus in every way we can, we are like the "play-it-safe" whom the master throws into utter darkness. And I don't think this applies only to sharing our faith. God has given each of us gifts for the sole purpose of furthering His kingdom. If we don't utilize those gifts, we are not faithful servants.

If you're not sure what I'm talking about when I say we have all been given gifts, read 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12. They both mention different spiritual gifts and how they are to be used to build up the Body of Christ. Peter tells us, "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10).

I'd like to challenge you today to meditate on the parable of the talents. Which of the three servants best describes you and your walk with God right now?

We all stand in need of improvement. If you've never even thought of yourself as having any spiritual gifts, ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes. Ask Him how you can be of service to Him and the people He has placed strategically in your sphere of influence. I guarantee He will use you. All He needs is a vessel yielded completely to Him.