Rekindling the Gift of God in You - February 9
Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 78:1-39; PM Psalm 78:40-72; Isa. 59:1-15a; 2 Tim. 1:1-14; Mark 9:42-50
Today’s Reflection
“I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.” –2 Timothy 1:5
One thing I love about the letter Paul writes to Timothy, his precious son in the faith, is that when Paul thought of Timothy, he was “reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that lived first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, lives in you.” Timothy had the faith required to follow Jesus and join with Paul in spreading the Gospel because of the faith that lived first in Timothy’s grandmother Lois and in his mother Eunice. Lois and Eunice shared their faith with Timothy by living out their faith in that “spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline,” which Paul is reminding Timothy to rekindle now that he is an adult and an apostle of Jesus.
Timothy’s grandmother Lois and mother Eunice remind me of some of my own forebears in the faith. Lois and Eunice remind me of my Granny and Granddaddy Bridges, who for decades were very involved members of the First United Methodist Church in the small town of Cuthbert, which is in southwest Georgia. Granny was a member of one of the ladies’ circles and a faithful choir member. Granddaddy regularly served as a greeter and usher.
Granny and Granddaddy prayed and read their Bibles and devotional books every day. When we visited, if I got up early enough in the morning, I might find Granddaddy sitting in his recliner reading his Bible and devotional, while I might find Granny reading hers up later in the evening. The faith that I have today is due, in part, to seeing the faith of my Granny and Granddaddy lived out in “a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”
As Paul wrote to Timothy, his son in the faith: “I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you… for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” That word “rekindle” is an important word to notice here. I also really like the way it’s translated in the ESV or English Standard Version of the Bible: “fan into flame the gift of God that is within you.” In order to turn away from a “spirit of cowardice” and turn toward a spirit of doing big things with God, we need a daily “re-kindling” of God’s gift living inside each of us.
So how do we go about keeping the fire of our faith kindled, of fanning it into flame, so that the light of Christ is not snuffed out, but is always shining within us and lighting our way? Or, as the apostles asked Jesus: How do we increase our faith? Paul, in this letter to Timothy, gives us an idea. In the NRSV version of 2 Timothy 1, Paul advises Timothy and his community to “Hold to the standard of sound teaching that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard the good treasure entrusted to you, with the help of the Holy Spirit living in us.” I find the ESV translation to be even more clear: “Follow the pattern of the sound words [or: the healthy words] that you have heard from me.” In order to guard the “good treasure” entrusted to us by the Holy Spirit living in us, we are to follow the healthy pattern.
Once we decide we want to turn our lives toward following Christ, of being centered in him, we can then choose to keep the flame of our faith burning through committing to a pattern or rule of life that includes praying, learning, worshipping, and blessing others—and, of course, making time for rest so that we, and the fire of our faith, don’t burn out. For me, building both prayer and rest into my daily pattern of life fans into flame the spiritual energy necessary to drive the other elements of worshipping and learning, and then going forth and blessing others. What matters most is that we are always turning back toward God, making a bit of time and space to connect with God in the daily rhythm of life that God has given to each of us.
As you go forth into whatever life has in store for you today and in the days to come: “I pray that out of his glorious riches God may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.”
—Becky+
Questions for Self-Reflection
Who has been a Lois or Eunice figure in your life? Are you (or could you be) a Lois or Eunice to someone else?
Daily Challenge
Listen to Presiding Bishop Michael Curry describe one healthy pattern (or rule of life) developed by the Episcopal Church, which he calls the Way of Love.