Is It Time to Stir Up the Gift?

We had a guest speaker at our church yesterday.  His name is Albert Mohler and he is the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. One of the largest seminaries in the world. Dr. Mohler is an excellent speaker and author and has a long list of accomplishments. He is also two months younger that I am.

I could look at him and ask myself, “why has he accomplished so much is a lifetime the same length as mine and I’m still waiting to feel like I am making a difference?”  Or I could ask God, “why have you blessed him and not me?” But both of those questions would be the wrong question.

The right question is, “how can I stir up the gifts God has given me and do what He created me to do?” That’s what Dr. Mohler  has done. He has grasped the vision for his life and faithfully moved forward in it.

Isn’t that what God wants all of us to do? We don’t all have to be some great personality that everyone knows. We don’t all have to accomplish astounding things to feel like we are successful in our lives. We just need to seek God and ask Him what He would have us be doing while we are on this earth.

Right now, by the world’s standards I am not really contributing much at all. But in this season of my life, I am investing in my children and my grandchildren. Perhaps reading a book to a four year old for the hundredth time doesn’t seem like much but I can be sure that the minutes spent with a little boy in my lap are not wasted time.

God has given each of us gifts and right now He is using my love for books to encourage reading in my grandchildren. If I look at this as a small accomplishment I am missing the point.  God has given us each gifts that he wants us to use for good. He intends to use those gifts and passions for His purposes and when we try to predict when He will use us and how it will look we can get side-tracked. We can also get distracted by all the activities that crowd into our day and completely ignore the gifts God has given.

This morning I read this verse in 2 Timothy.

Therefore I remind you to STIR UP the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (verse 6)

Some translations say “rekindle” or “fan into flame.”  So what does it mean to “stir up the gift?”  It means to not neglect the fire God has put inside of you. Stir those embers and use the things God has given you to make a difference. Don’t worry about how big or small the impact may look to you. Remember whose you are and that He has a purpose for your life.  He designed you with a particular set of gifts and talents that may only be combined in that exact way for one person on earth. You.

Sometimes I get discouraged about writing this blog. I wonder if anyone even reads it. Then I get feedback from one person who says, “that is exactly what I needed today.”  If I take the position that being faithful to write these thoughts isn’t making any impact, or if reading to a four year old grandson isn’t having an impact, then I am missing the blessing.

If today, God wants to use you in just one person’s life, in perhaps what appears to be a very small way, don’t walk away! Stir up the gift and make a difference!