Thursday, February 16th
5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure, dwells in you as well. 6 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, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
– 2 Timothy 1:5-7
Generational Faith
This week we’re looking at the tension between spouses and kids, so today we are going to turn our attention to the power of parenting.
We see here, in verse 5 of 2 Timothy 1, a reference to Timothy’s grandmother Lois and to his mother, Eunice. Paul opens his letter to Timothy, reminded of Timothy’s sincere faith, which dwelt first in the generations of women before him. This is a generational faith, which Timothy has now carried into his own life.
A principle that we see at play in this passage is that,
More is Caught than Taught.
A life lived, an example seen, is better than a lesson taught. You can imagine young Timothy growing up watching his mother and grandmother living faithful lives before God. The way they spoke to one another, the way they served their families, the way they sacrificed for the good of others, this is the faith that Timothy caught from his grandmother and mother.
From this generational faith that has been passed down to Timothy, Paul reminds Timothy in verse 7 to fan into flame the gift of God! Imagine hot coals in a campfire and you blowing oxygen against those hot coals, feeding it fuel to begin to burn again. This is the imagery that Paul is using when he tells Timothy to fan into flame the gift of God!
Verse 7 is a beautiful passage that reminds us that God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control. So Parents today, I pray that you would be motivated to parent by being an example of faith, one that is not out of fear but is out of power, love, and self-control! And Children today, I pray that we would look to those who have gone ahead of us with respect and awe, and may we, too live, not out of fear but with power, love, and self-control.
PRAYER
Our Father,
Thank you for your Word. We pray that by your Spirit, 2 Timothy 1:5-7 would change us into the likeness of Christ. We don’t want to live or parent out of fear today, Lord. Help us to be the men and women you have called us to be! Father, we pray this now through The Son and By the Spirit. Amen.
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