2 TIMOTHY 1:5-7 INCLUDED IN GOD’S STORY

5 I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. 6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

It is difficult to find anyone who has become a follower of Jesus Christ without some prior introduction from another person. We are called as members of a people and into the story of the community that belongs to God. Every person is offered the security of being a part of the ongoing story of God and the security of knowing that God has a specific role for them in his story. This serves as both the source of our contentment with our circumstances in this life, as well as the stimulus for us to develop the faith that has been given us as a gift from God.

What a great image we are given by St. Paul when he tells us to “fan into flame the gift of God.” The true gift of God is a relationship with him, and like our human relationships we are not passive recipients but active partners responding to the other. The image is one of a cold dark night into which a stranger walks carrying a small torch. He gives us the torch and moves on. We are given the opportunity to use the torch to kindle a fire that will give us light and heat. Alternatively, we can choose to let the torch smolder and go out. Like our relationship with God, the fire will only be as rewarding as the amount of attention we give it and effort we put into it.

Thank God that he has given us not only the “spark” of faith and the community of faith, but also the Holy Spirit which is the power behind our faith. It is through the exercise of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) that we fan the gift of faith into the fire of faith. We can be assured of this because we are part of God’s story in which he has written in the promises of the final chapters.

It is a privilege and an honor, Lord, to be included in your story and the story of your people. Keep me from succumbing to the temptation to write my own story or to write others out of your story. May I always and ever fulfill the role you have given me with gratitude and grace. Thank you for your script and for the direction of your Spirit. Amen.