After God's Own Heart
Shawn Eldridge

Exciting things are happening right before our eyes here at Bridgeport Central Baptist Church! First and foremost, we are seeing people give their lives to Jesus Christ. There is truly nothing in life more exciting than that! In addition, we are seeing new people worship with us each week; many are joining the church and becoming part of our family here. To borrow a phrase from James McDonald, “we are experiencing a mighty downpour from God”. This mighty move of God does not have to stop; in fact, He does not want it to stop. The only ones who can prevent this great outpouring of God are us. If we allow ourselves to become comfortable and satisfied, I can guarantee that a spiritual draught will soon follow; we can never allow that to happen. God has just begun to accomplish His purpose through our church. He is not even close to being finished with us. We haven’t even scratched the surface of what God wants to do!

To avoid a spiritual drought in this church and in our lives, we can learn a valuable lesson from the Apostle Paul in a letter to his young friend and fellow servant of Jesus, Timothy. Paul wrote this in 2 Timothy 1:6 “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.” It is obvious that Paul didn’t want Timothy to ever become spiritually comfortable and satisfied. He wanted Timothy to always “fan into flame the gift that God graciously gave him”. The more that Timothy used his God-given gifts for God’s glory, the stronger the fire became. Like Timothy, God has gifted all of us. The more that we use those gifts for God it is like pouring gasoline on an open fire. The fire will turn into a raging inferno, leaving its mark on everything in its path. The more that we use and develop our gifts, the greater the impact we will have in the world for Jesus Christ!

This reality can be completely overwhelming and intimidating if we allow it to be. Paul was totally aware of this. That is why he also wrote this to Timothy. 2 Timothy 1:7-9 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.” God didn’t give us the spirit of a coward. He gave us His spirit. His spirit is one of power, love and self-discipline. Instead, let’s continue to allow God to use us to the fullest. God has us on the ride of our lives. Let’s fasten our seatbelts and fully enjoy it!