Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you. 2 Timothy 1:6
Stirring up a fire and fanning the flame makes it burn brighter and hotter. Paul was reminding young Timothy to remain active in the Lord's cause.
Our God, who has declared us righteous through the merits of Christ, wants us also to be active in Christian service. He would do for us what the mother eagle does for her young.
The young eagles have a comfortable nest. The mother takes good care of them and carries food to them. They grow. But one day she comes with no food. Instead, she stirs up the next, pulls the young eagles out, and drops them in space. Why does the mother eagle do this? Is she being cruel? Not at all. She dashes under them and bears them on her wings so they suffer no hurt. The mother eagle is teaching the young ones why they were born. They were born not to be coddled in a soft nest. They were born to soar and to fly high.
The Lord teaches us that we are not redeemed to pass our time in idleness but to do great and lofty things for Him and others. To this end He wants us to stir up the gift He has given us.
PRAYER: Lord, enable us to serve You in word and deed. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
(Devotions from "The Abundant Life" copyright 1998, CPH. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be printed, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission of Concordia Publishing House. Permission is granted for one-time e-mailing of this link to a friend. For information on other devotional material, please contact CPH at 800-325-3040 or visit CPH at www.cph.org.)
Today's Bible Readings: 2 Chronicles 19-20 2 Corinthians 7
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