Perhaps you’ve written a note to encourage a young person early in her career, to affirm her gifts and reassure her that she has the skills to meet challenges. Paul (or a follower) writes such a message to Timothy, the young evangelist who faced many challenges. Paul encourages and reminds him that he is responsible for rekindling his own spiritual gifts and using them well. Paul also tells Timothy that his gifts are connected to the spiritual gifts of other people: Timothy’s “sincere faith” is the faith that first lived in his mother and grandmother; and, he received a gift of God through the hands of Paul, his contemporary and mentor.
This excerpt is from the stewardship devotional, “Providing for Our Spiritual Gifts,” by Emma Crossen, in the October 2012 issue of Interchange. Today is the Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost. The readings are Amos 5:6-7, 10-15; Job 23:1-9, 16-17 (semicontinuous); Psalm 90:12-17; Psalm 22:1-15 (semicontinuous); Hebrews 4:12-16; Mark 10:17-31 (Green).
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