2 Timothy 1:3-7

2 Timothy 1:3-7 I thank God, whom I serve, as my forefathers did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 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 did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

It is interesting to note that Paul says to Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. The gift of God in this passage probably refers to the Holy Spirit. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off — for all whom the Lord our God will call.” (Acts 2:38-39) Why does he say fan the flame if the Holy Spirit is present in Timothy in his fulness. Otherwise, why do anything to make the Holy Spirit more real in one's life? Well, it sounds as if Timothy needed to do this to avoid being timid in his Christian walk and to be more empowered with the spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. What does Paul mean when he says to fan this gift? Well, I suspect it is like having a house guest. If you never interact with the person, he or she fades into the background and is not significant in your daily life. However, the more involved you are with your guest, the more prominent the guest's ideas, personality, and knowledge become in your awareness.

I think this is true with the Holy Spirit. If we consider him extraneous to our living, a guest who really is not important enough to interact with, the Holy Spirit will have little impact on our lives. But, if He becomes an important, significant guest in our houses, He will be given deference in everything we do. We will seek his will, his inspiration, and his guidance before we do anything. His ideas, wisdom, and knowledge will influence every decision we make and every activity we are involved with. This intimate walk with the Holy Spirit is the "real" Christian walk. When we give the Holy Spirit that kind of leverage in our lives through reading the Bible, prayer, and meditation, He will influence directly all of our decisions, all of our activities. Paul encouraged Timothy to stir up the Holy Spirit within him so that he might become an effective, dynamic witness for Christ. Timothy and Paul lived in a very dangerous world; their lives were always on the line. Any day they could be killed for their beliefs, and for sure the devil was out to stop the message of Christ. Therefore, Timothy required courage to minister. He needed to know in his spirit that God was real and that He was worthy to serve, to die for. The Holy Spirit within Timothy was the source of this courage, so he needed to stir up the flame that was in him.

We also need to know that God is real and worthy to serve with sincere faith. We also need the Holy Spirit stirred up inside of us, for this present world is a dark and chaotic place. Human beings generally live very self-centered lives. At the end of their lives, they just hope they have lived them well for themselves. They hope they have gleaned the best out of life. Some of them believe that whoever has the "mostest" at the end of life has had the "bestest" out of life. But that kind of living is fruitless in God's domain. Paul is telling Timothy to live his life boldly for Christ regardless of the consequences, to make his life count for God. We also should stir up the gift within us so that we might live sacrificially for God. This is our duty, our responsibility, and our joy: to serve God regardless of the cost. Let each of us fan into flame the gift of God which is in us.