FIRE!!!
Posted on 25. Aug, 2010 by Scott Johnson in Devotions
“this is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1.6-7
There is something that fascinate me about FIRE!! I love the smell of smoke- I love to see the flames take off- I love to hear the wood crackle in the camp fire… Not a fan of smores- But I am a fan of throwing a few steaks on an open fire!!!
One day, my fascination for fire turned scary- As an 8th grader, we were doing a simple experiment that involved fun chemicals and an open fire! This experiment included me wearing a cool sweater because it was cold outside that morning!
While experimenting, I saw that I had left my pencil on the other side of our table so I reach across the table to grab it, trying to avoid making contact with the fire…
EPIC FAIL!
Next thing I know, the pencil is still on the table and the right sleeve of my sweater was a toasty orange fire! I did what any normal 8th grader would do that just found their right arm on fire- I began jumping up and down waving my arms all over the place… (forgot about stop drop and roll… oops??). After a few seconds (which felt like an hour or two) the fire was gone and thankfully my sweater still looked like a normal sweater only now it WREAKED due to the smoke!! That was a scary moment, one that as an 8th grader I definitely could have done without!
Fan Into Flames the Gift God has Given You
In playing with camp fires and bbq pits- I’ve noticed that even great fires will eventually go out! To keep a fire going, you have to maintain it… adding wood when appropriate, adding air to the embers, prodding and poking the fire to keep the flames burning!
It was not coincidence that Paul used this example when it comes to our adventure with Jesus Christ! Paul challenges Timothy to fan into flames the gift God has given you!! It is not a one time occurrence, but an on-going, everyday action necessity to keep our walk sharp and vibrant!
So how can we fan the flames in our lives??
- Remember when God rocked your world!! The best way to fan the flame is to constantly remember how God has challenged you in the past! Write down your story- where were you when you realized the price Jesus paid for you life? What has he taught you lately?
- Dig into God’s Word!! The Bible is full of story’s and letters that God uses to challenge us and to stretch us. He has give us the Bible so that we can read and know more about HIM!! Read it and pray that God teaches you something NEW every time you open it!!
- Look for ways to serve God!! One of the best ways to fan the gift is to serve- to serve others!! After all, Philippians 2 reminds us that Jesus came to this earth as a servant- if Jesus can serve those around Him- then we can definitely be servants… Serving our classmates, our parents, our siblings, even our neighbors!!
KEEP YOUR FIRE BURNING!! Keep it burning so that those around you may see Christ working IN you and want to know what is up!!!!
Ashley Weed
Sep 2nd, 2010
One thing that helps keep students burning is a burning leader!! Keep it up Scott you are a world changer!!!