6 For this reason I REMIND YOU to fan into flame (STIR UP) THE GIFT OF GOD, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and self-discipline (a sound mind). 2 Timothy 1
Paul thought it good to REMIND Timothy to ‘Fan into Flame’ the spiritual gift he had received. We’re not told what the gift was but it was imparted through the laying on of hands, presumably by the elders of the church. The laying on of hands by elders was the acceptable means of releasing blessings in the early Church and they’re still available today for those seeking them. (January 1, 1901 at 11:00 p.m. Agnes Ozman spoke with tongues after requesting Charles F. Parham lay his hands upon her so that she would receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. She was a 30 year old student at Bethel Bible School in Topeka, Kansas.) This marked the beginning of the Pentecostal Movement in America.
It’s noteworthy that after Paul’s exhortation to Timothy to STIR UP THE GIFT HE’D RECEIVED that the next words of the Spirit were, ‘Don’t be afraid!’. Fear is a weapon of the enemy and he has used it greatly during the recent pandemic (word related to the god Pan) to coerce many people, including believers, into doing his will.
Matthew 25 gives three examples by the Lord of a COMING SEPARATION AMONG PEOPLE. The second one is often referred to as the, ‘Parable of the Talents’, Matthew 25:14-30. Three servants were given different sums of money, ‘each according to their ability’. God does not expect more from anyone than He has given to us. Two of the servants used their talents and each doubled the original amount they’d received and were rewarded by the master.
24 “Then the man who had received one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 SO I WAS AFRAID … Matthew 25
The servant with the single talent hadn’t made any attempt to make use of it, he’d just buried it. His master chastised him,
26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ (Laziness is Wickedness, Derek Prince)
Each of us have received talents from the Lord, some more than others. He requires us to use the talents for the good of His people, our brothers and sisters and His Kingdom. If we’re uncertain how we can invest those talents ourselves we can support others who have a vision. (Make sure they have a Kingdom vision, not a selfish one) We can donate to the work and we can volunteer to serve in many capacities, most organisations are crying out for helpers.
“Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but TO SERVE, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:41-45
58 And so brethren of mine, stand firm! Let nothing move you as you busy yourselves in the Lord’s work. Be sure that nothing you do for him is ever lost or ever wasted. 1 Corinthians 15 PHPS
Don’t bury your talent, no matter how small, use it for the Lord and He’ll acknowledge and reward you on that day.
God bless and keep you today.