Fanning the Fire

I used to barbeque a lot beginning with our old, single grate, vintage Hibachi grill that Piper and I used at college for our monthly picnic at the park and at our first apartment after we got married.  From there we upgraded to a portable Weber Smoky Joe, then a full-sized Weber grill and in the later years, had a Komodo ceramic grill given to us, which I really enjoyed cooking on!  Eventually we graduated to a Weber gas grill… but you know?  I always preferred the flavor that the charcoal grills gave the finished meats we cooked.

Today I have many fond memories of me using a folded newspaper in order to fan the hot coals into a flame as I waited for just the right moment to add the chicken, steak, turkey or whatever other meats I was going to cook that day.  I learned the hard way that it was far safer to fan the coals instead of taking a shortcut and squirting a little stream of charcoal fluid onto the hot brickettes… having singed eyebrows and beard for a few days was more than just a little embarrassing… and it could have been much worse!

I had to smile this morning as I studied from the Biblical book of 2 Timothy and read some of the specific words of encouragement that the seasoned preacher Paul gave to his young protégé Timothy, in the face of the despondency that the rookie pastor was experiencing within his new leadership role with the church at Ephesus in Asia Minor.

I found it easier to understand Paul’s directions today if I switched the order of 2 Timothy 1:6-7 and read it like this…

(7) “For God did not give us a character (ie; a spirit) of insecurity, doubt and fear, but a mind and character (ie; a spirit) of confidence, power in the truth, love and self control.

(6) “And so, I therefore encourage you to stir up and FAN INTO FLAME, and rekindle the fire of the gift(s) that God gave you when I laid hands on you.  And then to exercise, develop and expand those gifts by the regular practice of them in your daily life.”*

I think the example of fanning the coals on a BBQ makes a very appropriate comparison to that of us Christians fanning the flames of the gifts of God in us, don’t you?  I can remember plenty times over the years when I stacked up the brickettes, soaked them in lighter fluid, or more often, stacked them within a charcoal chimney starter with paper stuffed in the bottom, lit it up and then got distracted by working around the yard… only to discover a while later that the fire had gone out and the briquettes were still cold!

Anybody else ever experience that… or am I the only one?

Over the years, I likewise saw people once active in the church and on fire for the things of God, slowly lose the personal excitement and the growth of their faith and then… drift away when they discovered that the red-hot fire in their hearts for God… had gone out.

I’ve also felt the sense of personal loss, when Piper and I reached out to these folks and spent a lot of time helping them to stir up the embers of that fire that once gave then the joy and strength of the Lord to victoriously overcome the various challenges in life that they faced… only to see them give up, throw in the towel… and walk away from their faith.

That’s exactly what the Apostle Paul didn’t want to happen with his close friend who had many God-given gifts and a special call of his life.  It is also exactly what I don’t want to happen to any of you who read this post today.  Each of you have been given a unique set of gifts and have a special call on your lives… So it is of utmost importance that you don’t allow the fire of your faith on the inside of you to grow cold.

So… don’t take any shortcuts like I did with a quickly added squirt of lighter fluid which ended up with singed facial hairs (& if I remember correctly, it didn’t smell very good either!)… but take the time to physically fan the fire on the inside of you… put there by God Himself when you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord… and dedicate yourself to stay active and involved with the purposes and plans of God in yours and your family’s life.

I hope that you are having a terrific weekend wherever you may abide today.  We woke up to a gorgeous blue skied day… which was a Godsend for us as it was a bit dark and dreary and POURED pretty much all day and night yesterday!  We were under a Flood Warning most of the time up to midnight. 

But through it all, we kept fanning the fire of faith and were comforted in knowing that… God keeps a watchful eye over His beloved kids!

 

 

*Personalized combination of 2 Timothy 1:7 & 6 from the King James Version, The Passion Translation and The Remedy Bible.