THE GIFT
2 Timothy 1:6-8 NKJV
6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
8 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God,
Second Timothy is Paul's last letter before his departure. Paul referred to his impending death as his departure. His perspective was so spiritually influenced that he spoke of leaving as opposed to dying. He told the church at Philippi that to depart and be with Christ was far better.
In his last letter, Paul is writing a letter of encouragement from prison. He is encouraging his son in the faith, Timothy, who is dealing with problems of his own. Paul reminds Timothy of the faith that is in him and reminds the young pastor of another great advantage: the gift of God.
Stir up, activate, the gift of God which is in you. Paul reminds Timothy of the great gift that was in him, the mighty Holy Spirit. We know this is what Paul was referring to because the very next verse gives us an outline of what kind of Spirit He is.
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead. He is not an "it" or an inanimate object. He is a divine personality. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter or the Helper. Jesus encouraged His disciples by explaining to them that even though He was leaving, it would be to their advantage. (John 16:7) Jesus said that He, Jesus, would send Him, the Holy Spirit, to them.
What Paul shares about the Holy Spirit in verse seven is one of my favorite verses. God has not given us a spirit of fear. What God gives us are His gifts, and the Holy Spirit is a major gift. He is not a spirit of fear or timidity. He is not afraid and does not inject fear into our lives. When we sense any fear, from a nagging sense of dread to full-blown panic, this is not the work of the Holy Spirit. God's message to mankind has been and still is 'fear not.'
The gift of God to us is the Spirit of power. The word power can also be translated as ability. The Strongs dictionary says the word implies to be able, achieving power. The Holy Spirit is in us to enable us to do what we could not do on our own. Wherever we see the Holy Spirit working in the scriptures, good things are happening. And He lives in us.
He is the Spirit of love. God is love, so His Holy Spirit is no different. And the Holy Spirit will not lead us away from love. He will not lead us to get revenge, say unkind words, or cause hurt to come. And even when we have missed it, the Holy Spirit is there to help us get back on the right path. He is not the one condemning us but the one urging us to repent and receive God's forgiveness.
And the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of a sound mind. I always chuckle at this one. Some people have blamed the Holy Spirit for much of the weirdness that has taken place in the Body of Christ. Not true. The people creating the weirdness were weird before the Holy Spirit empowered their lives. They just found a convenient excuse for acting strange. The Holy Spirit helps us to think correctly. Again, the Strongs Dictionary helps. The Holy Spirit is a Spirit of discipline, self-discipline, sobriety, and sound judgment.
And those are qualities that do not produce weirdness. Those are the qualities that produce strength and good results.
And because we have this wonderful, strong, loving, clear-thinking Spirit who is living in us and helping us, we are not ashamed of the story of our Lord. We are not ashamed of the Lord's people. And when we suffer for representing the gospel, we do not suffer alone. We have the help of the Mighty One living in us. He will help us to not be afraid and will enable us to power through the problems.
APPLICATION
Thanking and praising God for the gift of the Holy Spirit is one way to activate Him in your life. Praying in the Spirit is another way. Speaking these verses over yourself, that God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind, is a way to stir up God's gift in you.
PRAYER
Lord, thank You for the gift of the Holy Spirit. Show me how I can stir Him up more in my life and work with Him to accomplish things for Your kingdom and bless Your people.