“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.” — 2 Timothy 1:6
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Chris Paul is 39 years old and still playing at a high level for the San Antonio Spurs. Basketball is a sport that requires speed, agility and endurance, so it’s rare for a player to continue playing full time until age 40. But it looks like Chris will probably celebrate his 40th birthday as an NBA player, even though that makes him old enough to be a father-figure to a lot of the rookies. When we think of all the knee, ankle and foot injuries that could shorten or end basketball careers, it’s remarkable to see Chris leading his team on the court with a fire still raging in his belly.
Roy Myers said his middle name was “get wood” when he grew up because he stacked firewood, brought it in the house and kept the fire burning. He told his wife, Syble, that if they lived long enough to retire, their house wouldn’t have a fireplace because he wouldn’t be building any more fires. Though he joked about not building fires anymore, Roy stood tall as a man on fire for God for more than 60 years of ministry. When I was a young, new pastor in Mississippi, Brother Roy taught many young preachers how to be good pastors. He had a fire to share God’s Word with kindness and faithfulness for many years, through all of the challenges in churches.
As I watched Roy serve the Lord and we talked at pastor meetings each month, I knew the Lord could keep someone in the pulpit long term, though it wouldn’t be easy. During those years, the parsonage our family lived in had a wood stove where I built fires to warm the house during winters. I enjoyed splitting the wood as a young man and starting fires with newspaper and kindling, getting it hot with old logs, and keeping it going all night with freshly cut wood. Those are some great memories when my late wife, Cindy, was healthy and our children were little.
When the apostle Paul trained Timothy, he talked to him about keeping the fire of enthusiasm going for ministry through all kinds of circumstances. Paul knew people would throw water on the fire, try to get Timothy to quit, and seek to push Timothy away from his calling. As the bellows fan the flames, Timothy needed to follow the example of Paul and keep on sharing God’s Word with all his might until the Lord called him home. So Paul urged him to be strong. “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” (2 Timothy 1:6).
Souls are precious and need eternal salvation, so we press on through the challenges of different personalities, hurt feelings, rejection, setbacks and disappointments. We know someone shared Christ with us and we should want others to receive what we enjoy. Paul challenged Timothy to be courageous throughout his life. “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God” (2 Timothy 1:7-8).
Sharing Christ with others is a holy calling and we need to do our part to keep the fire going.
— Bill Kent, Pastor of Memorial Baptist Church, Sylvania, Georgia
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