"That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day." (2Timothy 1:12)
Apostle Paul wrote a letter to Timothy about staying faithful. I'm not sure what kind of person Timothy was, but he must have been like us for someone like Paul to remind us and encourage us:
"..to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace." (2Timothy 1:6-9)
That really stuck out to me and made me think of so many things. "For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline." There are so many things that I could think of to talk about in this short verse, but the first thing that struck me about it was that God is not a timid spirit! He is almighty and powerful- He doesn't want us to be satisfied living a life as small as candlelight. He wants us the gift of God to fan into flame- the gift of God that is Jesus Christ who died for our sins- the gift of God which is life everlasting. You know that saying "you only have one life to live, so live everyday like it's your last"-? I think God gave us just one life and one life only because He wants us to live it loud- loud and proud!
This also made me think of cornerstone. For those who are uncertain of serving next year, I thought this was a good verse to remind them that God did not give us a timid spirit. In Him we can do all things (Philippian4:13), and He will never let us down. I can very much relate to this. Although I'm pretty sure that I want to serve next year, I have no idea what I am going to do or what I want to do. But I see that as a good sign because really, I just want to be used by God. I don't want to pick and choose a position that I think would suit me- but I want to be given a position that God thinks will suit Him. I just need to trust in Him in whatever he calls me to do.
