October 22

Jeremiah 39-41

2 Timothy 1

Psalm 90:1-91:16

Proverbs 26:1-2

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you.  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 1:5-7

Travis and I bought our first house about 5 years ago. In the living room, there is a fire place that we would use occasionally. A couple years after moving in, we replaced all the windows. They were old and drafty and replacing them greatly reduced the cost of heating our house in the winter, which we were very happy about. But there was one other effect that we were not expecting: we were unable to keep a fire going in the fireplace. As quickly as it would start up, it would just die. No matter how much we would tend to it, as soon as we walked away, the fire would be out. It took us a little while to make the connection*, but it was definitely because of the new windows. They were so much better at blocking air from the outside, that a fire could not keep itself going. We laughed about it because in order to get the fire started, we would have to open a window to get proper airflow to the fire. Silly, right? Opening a window in the dead of winter just to build a fire in your already warm house? 

(*I must admit it was definitely Travis who figured this out. I had nothing to do with this discovery!)

In this letter to Timothy, Paul tells him to fan into flames the spiritual gifts God gave him. Like a fire, our spiritual gifts will go out completely unless they have what they need to grow. A fire needs fuel and air in order to keep going or else it will die out. If we don't fuel our spiritual gifts from God and fan them into flames, then we will miss out on blessings from God. We can do this by reading God's word, praying, studying, listening for God's voice, talking with a fellow believer, keeping a journal... there are many ways to "fan into flames." The benefits of doing this mean that we can experience God's power and love in the face of any situation we may be going through. Paul is writing this while he is in prison. Rather than being timid and afraid, he was writing with a spirit of encouragement and love and power.