“Stir Up the Gift.”
“Neglect not the gift that is in thee…” (I Timothy 4:14).
“Therefore, I remind you that you stir up the gift of God…” (II Timothy 1:6).
One morning I awoke to the thought, “Remember chocolate fudge.” All during that day as I prepared for the family’s arrival during a special occasion, I wondered curiously about this thought. Fudge is not a family tradition for me, whereas chocolate cake and brownies are. What could the Lord be speaking to me about in the making of fudge?
With a little probing, I learned that the dark creamy confection is a fairly recent recipe. Barry Popik, an early American researcher, noted in the Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York) yearbooks from the late 1800s that many of them mentioned fudge. It probably was the new craze of that day. One yearbook listed a poem about fudge that intrigued me:
What needs more stirring than oat-mush [oatmeal]
And more still when we’re in a rush,
But what’s even sweeter than a “crush,”
Part of the poem’s first line caught my attention, “more stirring than oat-mush.” This reminded me of two scriptures written by the apostle Paul to Timothy, who had just received the infilling of the Holy Ghost. He needed to be reminded to “stir up the gift of God” and not to “neglect the gift” that was in him. Paul encouraged Timothy to understand the importance of continuing even without his mentor by his side. In other words, he must walk steadfastly in the Lord on his own.
When making fudge, I found that it must be stirred constantly. Otherwise, the sugar will crystallize and clump together. Most importantly, the smoothness of the chocolate will be compromised if it is not kept at a certain temperature to prevent the sugar crystals from reforming. One crystal reforming can ruin the whole batch of fudge.
The Lord was speaking to me that as in the making of fudge, we too must stir up the gift of God within us. Much like gritty fudge, our spiritual gifts can clump and crystallize into a dormant state if not continually tended to. The Body of Christ has a work to do, which requires a constant stirring of the Holy Ghost to get it done. The Kingdom of God depends on it. Let’s pray together.
Pray:
Forgive me, Lord, for neglecting the gift within me.
Lord, help me to stir up the gift, (and gifts of the Spirit), within me so that I can be empowered and used in greater works.
Help me, Lord, to exercise myself in godliness, which is profitable unto all things, knowing that godliness with contentment is great gain. Help me to avoid those who have the appearance of godliness but deny its power.
Help me, Lord, to keep that which has been committed to my trust, avoiding oppositions of science, false doctrines, or anything that is knowledge against You, oh God.
Heavenly Father, help me not to love the world, the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of possessions, but to abide in Your will forever.
Help me, oh Lord, to walk in faith, to draw near to You, and to seek You like never before.
Patty Daszewski
WNOP Travel Coordinator
Info from: Prayer Connect – World Network of Prayer – floshaw@wnop-upci.ccsend.com