Stir Up the Gift of God

Because Timothy was a man who had genuine faith in Jesus, Paul urged him in 2 Timothy 1:6-7:  "Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."  Paul had been instrumental in Timothy receiving the gift of God, the filling with the Holy Spirit Jesus promised to give to all who trust in Hm.  In addition to producing the fruit of the Spirit in the life of a born-again believer, the Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to each one according to the will of God.  Paul reminded Timothy to "stir up the gift of God" that was in him without fear, the the Spirit He has given is of power, of love and of a sound mind.

Timothy was exhorted to stir up the gift of the Spirit as one fans coals that began to smolder back into flame.  The Holy Spirit provides the fuel to let the light of the Gospel shine before men through us, and it seems Timothy had neglected this or there was more he could do to that end.  When I think of stirring up things, one reason we do is to agitate and better incorporate every ingredient in a drink or dish.  Perhaps there were many ways Timothy could better incorporate the gift of God into his daily labour and activities.  Another way we commonly say something is "stirred up" is like when a crocodile goes from laying still and silent and suddenly goes into a death roll.  Crocodiles are masters of camouflage, lying still as a log until they violently stir up the water as they feed.  It may have been Timothy was fine for the gift of God to fly under the radar, camouflaged from the view of others out of fear they would not approve or understand.

The divine Holy Spirit God has given us is not a spirit of fear, but in stark contrast a Spirit of power and of love and sound mind.  The Holy Spirit empowers believers to be God's faithful, bold witnesses wherever He leads us and gives us supernatural ability we do not naturally possess.  God gives His people power to humble ourselves and to love others as Jesus loves us actively and sacrificially.  God's love is described in detail in 1 Corinthians 13 and demonstrated by Jesus in the manner of His life as He selflessly served others and by His death for lost sinners.  The Holy Spirit also gives us a sound mind, understanding and discernment of spiritual things we could not otherwise know.  God provides a circumspect perspective and sober-mindedness, the ability to identify and put off the works of the flesh while walking according to the leading of the Holy Spirit in holiness.

Christians have been given the Spirit of God that rested upon Jesus Christ as it was prophesied in Isaiah 11:1-2:  "There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. ² The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD."  The fear of God frees us from the oppressive fear of man that would allow the gift of the Spirit to die down like a fire in the rain.  By fanning the flames of the Spirit of God by faith and obedience to Christ, we are led by God as it is written in Romans 8:14-15:  "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. ¹⁵ For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father."  Having been born again we are adopted as sons of God, and thus we need reminding to stir up the gift of God to walk worthily of our glorious Saviour.

Strengthen Yourself in God

Though people of faith in God mentioned in Scripture had experiences different to ours, they are relatable because we trust the same God.  Many times the situations people faced were far more extreme than our current struggles and troubles, and this ought to inspire great confidence that God is able to help us in all He allows.  In my youth I was foolishly distracted by flaws or inconsistencies in God's people in scripture rather than emulating steps of faith they took and the LORD who helped them overcome all.  One such person is David, a man after God's own heart.  He was not a perfect man, but who among us is?  His steadfast faith could put the most stalwart among God's people to shame.

While on the run from King Saul, David and his men spent over a year in Philistine territory.  After their return from the field of battle, they were shocked to find their city Ziklag a burnt ruin, all their wives and children taken captive along with their possessions.  The Bible tells us the men lifted up their voices and wept until they lacked strength to weep any more.  1 Samuel 30:6 says, "Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the LORD his God."  David grieved over his two wives being taken captive, and was greatly distressed when the men spoke of stoning him in a rage over their loss.  Instead of making excuses, trying to deflect blame, threatening or challenging the men, David strengthened himself in the LORD his God.

Faith in God enabled David to look beyond the furious, tear-streamed faces and hands that clutched stones and see the LORD who ruled over all, the sovereign and living God Who anointed him king, protected and led him every step.  In God David discovered strength he did not possess, for when he did not even have the strength to weep God had abundant strength to guide, deliver and save.  The child of God finds strength to endure and overcome in the LORD our God.  In response to Paul's repeated requests to remove a messenger of Satan from his life 2 Corinthians 12:9 tells us, "And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."  Instead of removing Paul's thorn in the flesh, God allowed it to remain so he might experience the sufficiency of Gods' strength provided by grace to all those who are in Christ by faith.

The experiences of David and Paul provide wonderful applications for us even when we have never had a kidnapped spouse or a demonic messenger pester us.  When we feel greatly distressed, when bad things happen to us that are out of our control, or we are too weak even to weep, by faith in Jesus we can strengthen ourselves in the LORD our God.  In doing so we consider the greatness of our God, His faithfulness to us, His good promises and all He has done.  Because our God is the LORD over all, nothing can undermine or overthrow His power to deliver and save.  By faith in God David recovered all without loss and Paul embraced his infirmities that the power of Christ would rest on him.  Following their example in the overwhelming circumstances of our lives is most wise, for God's grace is sufficient.

The Satanic Suggestion

Satan walks the earth like a lion seeking whom he may devour, yet he can take the form of an angel of light.  Like the Pharisees who were clean on the outside yet spiritually were like unclean tombs within, the devil and those who follow him can seem to have our best interest in mind while working to ruin us.  Peter believed he spoke as a man inspired by the Holy Spirit when he rebuked Jesus for saying He would be killed, yet it was as if Satan were speaking.  Jesus then rebuked Peter for such a suggestion in Matthew 16:23:  "But He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

Satan foolishly sought to be like the Most High, and his pride led him to a great fall.  The father of lies is the master of telling them, and it is only by being grounded in the word of God we can recognise and avoid falling prey to His deceptions.  Satan was able to deceive Eve by first questioning then denying what God had plainly said.  For those who can read God's word and have the Holy Spirit within them, blatant lies are not as effective as partial truths--which are still a complete lie.  As long as we reside in these bodies of flesh, there is potential we can be swayed by attractive appeals to our flesh.

We see this appeal to fleshly desire in David's men when King Saul pursued David to kill him.  While in the wilderness of En-gedi, Saul ventured into the same cave David and his men sheltered in.  They urged David to take full advantage of the situation in 1 Samuel 24:4:  "Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.' " And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe."  There were many times in scripture God promised to deliver the enemies of His people into their hand, and it is not clear if God said this in particular to David.  But the second part of their statement reeks of sulfur, for they appealed to his flesh.  Instead of doing to Saul as seems good according to God's will, they used God's name to encourage David to do his own will.  Instead of lopping off Saul's head, he chose to cut off the corner of his king's robe.

So tender was the heart of David that he felt remorse over what he did as it says in 1 Samuel 24:5-6, "Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. ⁶ And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD."  David confessed his sin before the men, for in doing as seemed good to him it wholly missed the mark of God's righteousness.  David was anointed of God to be king, but since God had not yet removed Saul from the kingdom David was to presently submit to God in faith.  Falling for the devil's lies gives us insight into the evil in our own hearts, and the wise learn from error coupled with repentance.  As much as David loved and trusted his men, the truth of their words could be discerned by knowledge of God and His word.  Appeals to the flesh and encouragement to "do as what seems good to you" ought to be a red flag every time.

The Promise of His Coming

Upon my return to San Diego, I was surprised to hear of a hurricane Hilary moving straight towards "America's Favorite City."  I grew up and spent a great deal of my adult life in San Diego, and I never heard of such a thing--or had seen such an almost hysterical response to an incoming storm.  Television programs were rescheduled to provide extra coverage of the "hurricane", and long before it entered the United States it had been downgraded to a tropical storm.  An insurance company made automated calls to encourage their customers to take every possible precaution for this potential disaster.  The hype was so intense school was cancelled for many students today.

Because the buildup was so intense, when it finally started drizzling and raining yesterday the storm was quite underwhelming.  Before the storm everyone was talking about the forecast, and many after the storm had a chuckle over how much a non-event it was.  If this storm was a test of San Diego's emergency broadcast network, based upon my experience I would say it passed with high marks.  It is better to be safe than sorry.  When there are warnings that do not correlate with reality, however, it would be no surprise for people to tune out if future alarms prove false.  Like in the fable of the boy who cried wolf, people grow weary of being mislead--even if others have their best in mind.

Hurricane Hilary has come and gone, and life goes on without a hitch.  Peter warned believers not to forget the warning Jesus gave about coming judgment people made a mockery of in 2 Peter 3:1-4:  "Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), ² that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, ³ knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, ⁴ and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."  In these last days some people scoff at the idea of coming judgment for sin or their own mortality, but God's people ought to be aware and mindful of both.  We should not scorn God's warnings in His word, by His prophets or Son with the manner of our lives.  The sun rises and sets every day without fail, and winter makes way for spring.  But one day, all that will change for us.

Peter used the flood in the days of Noah as an example in 2 Peter 3:5-7:  "For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, ⁶ by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. ⁷ But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men."  God who destroyed the earth with a flood of water is actively preserving them until He brings judgment with fire upon the ungodly.  The world that existed before the flood perished, and the world that exists now will someday perish:  of this we can be certain.  But praise the LORD God has sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  Meteorologists can get it wrong, but God is never wrong.  With a high degree of accuracy it was predicted when the storm would arrive in southern California, yet only God knows the time when our lives will be required of us and we will face judgment.

How we live today matters as Ecclesiastes 12:14 says, "For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil."  Let us not mistake His patience and longsuffering for carelessness or forgetfulness.  God has promised, and He will be faithful to complete the work He has begun.  What God says He will do He will do without fail.  The question is, will we sit in the seat of the scornful or make our LORD Jesus  the delight of our souls to hear and obey?