6 Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
Beginning in verse 6 and continuing through 2:13, Paul urged Timothy to faithfully serve the Lord after his martyrdom. His purpose was to prepare Timothy for the ministry that lay before him after the apostle was gone.
6 Therefore [for which cause] I remind you
Paul wanted to remind Timothy of the gift of ministry God gave him. He was to “stir up” passion for his “gift” for doing ministry. A “gift” is a special, supernatural enablement to do the work of God. It vastly differs from the talent that God gives naturally, and it functions differently (1 Co 12; 1 Pet 4:10-11). All believers receive at least one gift at the point of their salvation.
to stir up [rekindle, fan into flame] the gift of [from] God which is in you
The Greek for “stir up” denotes fan into flame or rekindling embers of a dying fire. The young pastor needed to keep that in mind after the apostle was gone. Keeping one’s gift aflame is essential to persisting in ministry (1 Tim 4:14). It is possible to neglect our gift (Col 4:17).
The word for “gift” (charisma) signifies a grace gift, a special, supernatural capacity given to every believer by God at the point of salvation to do His work.
through the laying on of my hands.
Timothy received both his gift from God and Paul’s recognition of God’s call upon his ministry by Paul’s formally laying his hands on the young man (1 Tim 4:14).
PRINCIPLE:
Every believer has a special, supernatural gift to use in serving the Lord.
APPLICATION:
There is always the danger of neglecting our gifts and opportunities by allowing the dynamics of Christian living to decline.
