For thought and meditation

[rl69]

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.—2 Timothy 1:6 (http://harvest.us3.list-manage.com/track/click?u=4f108f827aed8d503b5fca9fa&id=acd9cf627b&e=3dd732485b)Have you ever watched a fire begin to burn down to the point that all you have left are coals? It looks as though there is no fire actually left, because the coals may be under a layer of ash. You can't really see much. But when you take a fresh log and toss it on top of those coals and stir it around a bit, suddenly it ignites, and you have a whole new fire going.

Paul wrote to Timothy, "Stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands" (2 Timothy 1:6). That phrase stir up the gift means to fan it into full flame.

There may be live coals in your life, but you have allowed the fire to go down. You haven't been using the gifts that God has given you, the talents He has given you. It's time to fan them into full flame again. It's time to be reignited. It's time to say, "Lord, how can I use what You have given me for Your glory until You return?"

We need to take advantage of the opportunities that are out there. There are those who want to have the big, visible ministries. They want the applause of men. Yet often they go nowhere, even though they may have great talent.

But if we will humble ourselves and take what we have and offer it to God, if we are willing to do what He has set before us and be faithful in the little things, then He will give us more to do.

Any time you take a chance, you can fail. But it's better to try than to never have anything happen in your life. I would rather try and fail than never try at all

[square butte]

Appreciate the study this morning rl

[USMC87]

Excellent, A great lesson!

[Boaz]

I can only agree with the others . Good lesson !

[Blackwater]

Wow! What a poignant point! So many Christians, and maybe especially us Baptists, tend to think "it's all done now" once we walk the aisle. And many go back to whatever it was they were thinking and doing and feeling. Clearly, that's not real, full blown Christianity. The Bible DOES say that "He who believeth in me shall have everlasting life," but other parts of the Bible seem to indicate pretty clearly that if we REALLY believe, we WILL do things differently than what we would have before a real conversion, and quite different from what many around us do. This, I think, is the measure of whether we've had a REAL conversion experience, or not. A REAL conversion, as I read the Bible, is something that is more than a momentary desire to be saved, but involves a real COMMITMENT to Christ and what He stove so diligently to teach us and get us to understand.

One of the good things about "hard times" and stressed times like we're living in is that it challenges one to reassess our standing before the Lord. If we do that, I can't imagine very many folks who'll be satisfied with what they've done. A few, yes, but I doubt it's many. The temptations and allure of the profane world around us is great, and our weaknesses deep seated. Not a great situation, and I know I need several course corrections and attitude adjustments each day. And I probably let some things slip that I shouldn't. But like learning to ride a horse, when you get thrown, you pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and climb back in the saddle yet again, and keep doing it until you're not able to go further or the horse is broken. One of the two is assured, and if we can break the horse of our own will and weaknesses, it makes for a LOT smoother riding from then on. And SO much more JOY! In my own case, I seem to have drawn a particularly unruly and ungovernable horse to ride, but .... determination can deal with even that kind'a horse, if we just keep at it. Wish me luck. I'm getting better at riding, but this horse of mine keeps coming up with new moves! That's where faith and humility come in really handy.