Feed The Fire

You don’t tell someone who’s already standing to stand up, right?

So it’s clear the Apostle Paul is telling Timothy to feed the flame within because his flame within, wasn’t lookin’ so hot.

The phrase “gift of God” usually means salvation, and I think it’s a good way to understand what Paul is saying here—to Timothy and all us Timothys out there:

Let’s keep that passion for God red-hot, my friend, where it belongs.

We get fired up about all kinds of things:

Family
Friendships
Adventures
Sports
Vacations
Making money

But the Bible reminds Believers not to forget God—to always keep kindling a passion for Him.

(The Greek word for “be fervent” is literally, to boil.)

Boil for God, he says.

It’s interesting (and somewhat unsettling) that a fully dedicated, spiritually gifted, Bible hero like Timothy even needs such an exhortation.

But growing cold on the inside happens to the best of us.

If you don’t tend the fire, it goes out.

Not talkin’ here about losing your salvation; rather, about losing your passion for the Lord who saved you—about losing that excitement for serving Christ.

Why did Timothy’s heart-fires need to be stirred?

Well.

For starters, his pastor and father in the faith has been locked up (again) and this time, it doesn’t look good.

In fact, Paul will soon be martyred. And Timothy senses that.

So perhaps this young man is letting his sad circumstances affect his relationship with God and his obligation to remain passionately engaged with the One he calls, Lord.

Discouragement can do that. Especially when it’s prolonged.

We taper off the Bible reading and slack off in our pressing in and praying, and we find excuses why we can’t congregate with God’s people.

And if you isolate one burning coal from all the rest, it goes cold rather quickly, doesn’t it?

And what good is a cold, compromised Christian?

This is what he means when he reminds us:

Don’t put out the fire; feed the fire, my friends.

Don’t let other priorities replace your First Love. Don’t allow the world to distract you from What’s Most Important. Don’t give the devil a foothold and yield to sinful temptation.

Instead.

Pour on the lighter fluid of prayer and God’s promises right on top of that smoldering flame.

Don’t isolate.

Congregate.

And you’ll get your desired results.

The warmth will return and so, too, the joy of your salvation.