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Stir up the Gift!
By Janine Scott-Lowe, MD.
2 Timothy 1:6-7: For this reason, I remind you to stir up the gift of God, which is in you...for God did not give you a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.
Today's Scriptures are the words spoken to Timothy by his mentor, Paul. Timothy had received special gifts of the Spirit to enable him to serve the church. These gifts set him apart for ministry. However, Timothy experienced great opposition to his message and to himself as a leader. He was opposed by both believers and non-believers, and because of this persecution, he was afraid to continue preaching the gospel. It is at this time that Paul spoke these words to encourage Timonthy to remember what God had put in him when He called him, and to continue on in the faith. Timothy didn't need anything more than what he already had. God had given him everything he needed for the call that He had on his life. Timothy simply had to remember that, believe it, and act on it by stirring it up and stepping out in faith.
Just like Timothy, God has also given each of us special gifts and abilities. He hasn't given them to us just for us, but to serve and to build up one another. However, many times because of these gifts, we are set apart from others, or may experience persecution because of them. What are we to do when this happens? How are we to act? Do we shrink back and hide our lights to be more acceptable to others, or do we rely on the strength of the Holy Spirit to give us the power we need to persevere and continue on to do what we know we are called to do? In essence, the question is whether we will be men pleasers or God pleasers? The Life Application Study Bible states that "when we allow people to intimidate us, we neutralize our effectiveness for God. But God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can hep us overcome our fear of what some may say or do to us, so that we can continue to do God's work."
That is my encouragement to you (and me) today. Let us stir up the gift of God that is already in us. We don't need anything more or anything new. We have the Holy Spirit, so we have ALL that we need to accomplish all that the Lord puts in our hearts to do. We just need to do our part to stir it up. God won't do it for us. That is OUR responsibility. As it has been impressed upon me so much as of late, faith without works (OUR work) is dead. STIR UP THE GIFT and watch God take it and use it for His glory and for our good.
Be blessed!
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Janine
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Janine Scott-Lowe, MD is a Family Physician who practices in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, taking care of the soldiers and family members of the famous 82nd Airborne Division. She has two beautiful daughters, Kendall and Katrina.
You can find more articles and information about Janine's books on her website:
http://www.hishandsextendedonline.com.
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