Dave's Diary

The letter we call 2 Timothy was written not long before Paul’s execution. At the time of writing it, Paul knew that the time of his death was drawing near (4:6-8), and he wanted to send final words of love, encouragement and instruction to his younger disciple, Timothy.

Daily Readings: 2 Timothy 1-2 and Psalm 6

Timothy was a young man of sincere faith. Evidently, he was also a young man filled with love for Christ’s people and had dedicated his life to serving the spiritual wellbeing of the Christ-followers in Ephesus. But, facing opposition from false teachers and the threat of persecution, he needed to be reminded to trust the power of the Holy Spirit within him. So Paul wrote:

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 the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 

Let’s not make the mistake of waiting passively for God to give us some sort of fresh experience of the Spirit’s power before He will use us. In fact, God calls us to take the spiritual gifts He has already given us, stand up, step out in faith, and faithfully execute the ministry we already know has been entrusted to us. And all of this in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (v.7 & 14) – Who is the greatest gift of all.

As we execute the ministry God has entrusted to us, we can rely on this beautiful balance of (a) Spirit- given power to accomplish that ministry, (b) Spirit-given love to motivate and guide that ministry, and (c) Spirit-given self-discipline, endurance and wisdom to press through with it even when the going gets tough or when persecution or suffering seek to derail it.

Life application: Don’t worry about what else the Lord may be calling you to do. Get going with what you already know He wants you to do in service of the Gospel, and do that faithfully. Do it as well as you can, and do it as long as you can, and you’ll be amazed at how the Lord will empower and use even your most faltering efforts.