"I have been reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you 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." 2 Timothy 1:5-7 (NIV)
To encourage his young co-laborer, the Apostle Paul told Timothy that the true and sincere faith that was in his grandmother and in his mother, was also in him. Paul encouraged him to exercise his faith, to fan the flame, so that his gift from God would grow stronger. God did not mean for him to be weak, loving and full of self control, yes, but not weak.
Most of us received our early religious training from our mother and or grandmother. They were our example of faith, strength, and love. It was usually their strong faith in God that kept the family going. That capacity, which is a gift from God, was cultivated by them in each of us and it has been enhanced by life's lessons as we grew. Most of us have a little faith, but it is weak because we do not exercise it. We need to "fan the flame" so that our God given gift can grow stronger. With great faith comes the ability to do great things. We could move mountains if our faith was stronger. Jesus said, "... if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." (Matthew 17:20 NIV) Thank God, and your mother, and your grandmother, for what they gave you, but you must decide to use your gift.
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