The following post titled 'A Meaningful Life: Gifted to Give' is based on our Meaning of Life series across C3 Sydney's 11 Locations
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and
of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:6-7 (NKJV)
In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he writes “I remind you”. This is not new information for Timothy but encouragement to act upon what he already knows: to stir up the gift inside.
Every one of us has a gift from God and we too need to stir it up. You activate your gift by doing it and while this can take work, there’s power in living according to God’s design. There’s an underlying characteristic written on your soul that determines how you approach life. If you are unsure of your gifts, consider the things you are naturally drawn to doing.
Another way to discover your gifts is to take part in the “Next Steps” course. Every member of C3 has gifts and when we use them we are living for God and others. Some of the gifts include hospitality, mercy, prophecy, administration, generosity and evangelism.
The second thing Paul reminds us of in this letter is that fear shuts down your gifts. God wants us to stir up our gifts and not be shut down by fear and anxiety. Be careful what you let into your head that can foster fear. Images from horror movies can allow the enemy to terrorise us from within. Fear will rob you of a sound mind, peace and power.
But God’s perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). When we linger in worship, embracing the atmosphere of God we become free from the things that bind our hearts and minds.
In school biology there is a science experiment where a white potato left overnight beside some blue dye will be blue in the morning (osmosis). The same thing can happen to us spiritually when we spend extended time in God’s atmosphere: We can soak it up from the outside in.
As a church we have times set aside for all of us to soak in God and the upcoming Presence conference in April is one of them. If you haven’t already, consider whether you can come and bring your friends and family.
This is a time of refreshment for all of us.
Something to talk about:
- Are there gifts you have that need to be stirred up again?
- If you’ve never investigated your gifts, what next step can you take/team you could serve on?
- When was the last time you took time out to soak in God’s atmosphere?
