“Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power and of love, and of a sound mind.”
2 Timothy is the last letter that the Apostle Paul wrote. At that time he was in the infamous Mamertine Prison in Rome. The Roman Caesar, Nero, was persecuting the Church with a vengeance. In Paul’s final letter to Timothy, the one whom Paul called his “son in the faith”, he was seeking to encourage him by helping him to remember!
The word “remembrance” is translated from the Greek word “anamimensko”. It is made up of two Greek words: “ana” (which means: “again or to repeat”) and “mimensko” (which means: “to be reminded of something”). When these two words are put together they mean: “to regather or to recollect memories”. (Sparkling Gems from the Greek, Renner, page 6). Paul knew he was facing death. He was encouraging Timothy to “remember” his calling and his gifts in the Spirit. To not neglect them, ignore them or to be fearful of expressing his faith in Christ, even in the face of great trial and difficulty.
While it is important for us “to forget” some things (Phil. 3:13), it is equally important that we remember some things.
For the redeemed of God, it is important to remember where Christ has brought us from and what He has called us to! He has redeemed us from the power of sin and darkness (Rom. 6: 12-14). He has called us unto Himself to be conformed to His image (Rom.12:2). And He has called us to be of service to Him in His Kingdom (Eph. 2:10). It is important to remember that the Holy One has called us to be the instruments of His Light in the darkness of this world. He has gifted each of us to do exactly that. Not all of us have the same gifts But we all have the same calling. To honor, glorify, and represent Christ to an unbelieving and dying world.
Let us resolve to do just that in this new year more than ever before, both individually and corporately as the Body of Christ.
Rev. James W. Black
