Young People's Group

STIR UP THE GIFT OF GOD

by Pastor Mitch
March 06, 2005

The Tyranny Of The Urgent

It is easy for us to be caught up with the things that are most urgent. There are always matters in life and ministry that require our immediate attention. We can be so taken up with them that they become our “tyrant”. When we do this, we tend neglect the things that are more important.

Neglecting The Development Of Our Spirtual Gifts

One of the vital things that people tend to overlook is the development of their spiritual gifts. Paul saw how there was this neglect in the life of Timothy. He was a young pastor who sought to do the work of the Lord. But he was not spending the required time to cultivate the gift that God had endowed him with. Paul had to firmly exhort him to do otherwise.

“Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.” 
1 Timothy 4:14

The spiritual gift that Timothy had was specially prophesied. It was given through the laying of hands by the elders. However, such gifts still need to be developed. It is crucial that we do not neglect the gifts that God has given to us.

Making It A Priority To Stir Up Our Gifts

Did Timothy actually get down to developing his gift? To some extent, he did, but it was not enough. Paul had to remind him to stir up his gift further.

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God that is in you…” 
2 Timothy 1:6

Timothy needed to put in even more effort to develop his gifts. How can we make this one of our priorities in life?

1. Discover Our Gifts

Let’s seek to first discover for ourselves what spiritual gifts we have been given. Do we have the gift of exhortation? Do we have the gift of helping people? Do we have the gift of leading? We must first identify and confirm the spiritual gifts that we have.

2. Be Responsible To Cultivate Our Gifts

We must also seek to cultivate our gifts to their fullest potential. That responsibility is given to us. The phrase “stir up” means to “fan to full flame”. Diligently, we must set aside time to train and develop our gifts till they reach what they were meant to be.

3. Dedicate Our Gifts For The Lord’s Use

When we have developed our gifts, we must learn to use them for the Lord’s work. Let’s learn to dedicate them for His service. Young people, let’s seek to cultivate our gifts, that we may glorify the Lord always with them. Let’s not waste our gifts.

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