Walk with Me

SCRIPTURE:  2 Timothy 1:1-18         Read the passage

BIO:  I am Don Brown. My wife, Becky, and I have been members of FPCO for more than 30 years, and we each have received rich blessings from this great congregation. For many years, I was active as an Elder in administrative areas, but an unanticipated trip to Ghana several years ago opened my life to the importance of Mission in each of our lives. Seeing "up close and personal" the great Work of God in and among the people of Ghana, changed my heart and has caused me to be more focused upon trying to find where God is at work, and then finding what He would have me do in those areas of my life. It was important for me to realize that Mission is not a collection of "projects," but is active participation in God’s great call upon each of our lives found in what we commonly call "The Great Commission."

KEY VERSE:  2 Timothy 1:7  For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

CENTRAL TRUTH:  God does not intend for us to be passive about our Faith. Timidity is not His style. Instead, He shares with each of us, through the Holy Spirit, His Power, His Love, and expects us to discipline ourselves to use His Power and Love for the furtherance of His Kingdom.

DEVOTIONAL:  Turning Timidity into Power and Love
Why is timidity such a fallback position for each of us? Each hour of our life presents us with opportunities to speak and live boldly for Christ, but we find ourselves, time and time again, unwilling to take the risk of letting those we encounter know about our relationship with Christ. We hide behind words like "religion is a personal matter" and most often carefully avoid letting ourselves speak boldly for Christ.

Paul’s letter to Timothy, which Paul writes from prison, is being written at a time when Paul knows clearly that his ministry is nearing an end. Paul does not write, however, as one who is defeated. Instead, he offers strong encouragement to his friend, Timothy. It is invigorating to know that under dire circumstances Paul tells Timothy to "fan into flame" God’s gifts to him. He exhorts Timothy to put aside his timidity, and to claim for himself God’s gifts of His Power and His Love. Why would we hide behind timidity if we know that at any moment of our lives, we have available to us the Power and Love of the God of the universe? God intends that we claim the gifts He gives to us and to use our lives in fulfillment of the call we each have as followers of Christ.

QUESTION 1:  If we really believe that God has given each of us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, direct access to God’s power and love, why are we so unwilling to boldly proclaim Christ?

QUESTION 2:  What are the things that cause us to be timid? When we know the Truth and are unwilling to speak the Truth, what can we do to make ourselves open to God’s "fanning our flame" of boldness?

QUESTION 3:  In the recesses of our hearts, can we not hear God’s call to set aside our own timidity, acknowledge that we have within ourselves the full power of His Holy Spirit, and because of that gift, discipline our life in bold and loving witness to the Christ who lives within us?
As we approach the celebration of our Savior’s birth, there is no better time for each of us to discipline ourselves to the bold proclaiming of the importance of Christ’s presence in our lives. Go, tell it on the Mountain! Live it everywhere!