The Flame

SPIRITUAL GIFTS

 Props: large candle with tight lid, lighter

 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

             (Light candle).  As 2 Timothy 1:6 says, the Bible compares the gifts God gives us to a flame.  God has given each of us special gifts.  Those gifts may start out small, like this flame is small right now.  Maybe you love music but don’t know how to play an instrument yet.  Your love of music may be a gift that God wants you to use for Him.  It might be that you enjoy writing or painting or just talking to and encouraging other people.  Those can all be gifts that God wants to use to help others.  And, like our memory verse says, you have to fan those gifts into flame.  You have to work at developing the gifts that God has given you.

            This flame cannot live unless it is fed.  Right now, it is being fed oxygen.  Without the oxygen, it will die.  (Place lid on candle).  It didn’t take long at all for the flame to go out completely.  Unless you feed your spiritual gifts, they will die out too.  If you don’t spend time with God in prayer and don’t read your Bible, if you don’t spend time learning more about, practicing and growing in your gifts, your gifts will die. 

(Relight candle).  Now let’s see what happens when I “fan into flame” this fire.  (Lightly blow on candle until the flame grows).  Feeding it oxygen makes it grow.  In fact, if I kept feeding this flame, it would grow into a huge fire and could even burn forever.  You could make your gifts that strong, too.  There are a number of things you can do to feed your spiritual gifts and make them grow.  Your spiritual gifts must be fed by the presence of God and by His Word, the Bible.  When you spend time with God in prayer and in studying the Bible, your gifts will grow stronger.  Your gifts will also grow stronger when you learn from others.  Do you have the gift of teaching?  Learn from good teachers.  Do you enjoy praying with others?  Spend time praying with people who know how to go to God in prayer.  How about acting, serving, singing, dancing, helping others or playing a musical instrument?  Learn from people who are good at those things.  Also, don’t wait until you’re perfect to start using your gifts.  Use them now.

If you spend time with God, learn from others and continue using your gifts, they’ll keep getting stronger and greater.