Stir up the gift of God: power, love, a sound mind

by | Jun 13, 2022 | Faith | 6 comments |

Stir your mind

I stir in bed at the first light of dawn. After kissing Keith good morning, I head to a loft and turn on the coffee. My mind needs to stir, to awaken. This was Peter’s intent in his second letter, according to Minister Gloria Curry’s reflection:

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, 2 Peter 3:1-2 NKJV

Stir a commotion

During Bible study at church yesterday, Pastor spoke about humans being 100% sinner and 100% saint. If we are only judged by our actions in life, then we are condemned, because we always fall short. But if we believe, we are saved by grace—and maybe we did some things during our lives on earth, not for ourselves but for the glory of God.

These truths cause commotion; truth can stir up trouble. We often prefer our own judgment—I know I do. How hard it is for me to think before I talk, to speak truth with love and ask questions. To stir up the gift of God. As Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1-67 KJVWherefore 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.

Stir thoroughly

This morning, I made tuna pasta salad for the 1951-ers luncheon. Here’s the story of our first meeting and our second. The recipe instructions: cook the pasta until tender, drain and rinse with cold water; add all remaining ingredients—tuna, chopped cucumber and tomato (I added a yellow squash from our garden and orange bell pepper for color and taste), plain nonfat yogurt, red wine vinegar, prepared yellow mustard, dill, salt, and pepper. Stir thoroughly.

Peter’s second letter is a stir-thoroughly last will and testament: Yes, I think it is right, as long as I am in this tent, to stir you up by reminding you,knowing that shortly I must put off my tent, just as our Lord Jesus Christ showed me. 2 Peter 1:13-14 Of what does Peter wish to remind us? There are and will be mockers and deceivers. As Christian blogger Sue Love shared in her morning’s reflection, we must stir up our minds, hearts, and souls to keep the faith.

So today, as we 1951-ers thoroughly stir our salads, stir our minds, stir a commotion of fun and laughter, I pray we stir up the gift of God and share that love and grace. And maybe I will say or do something not for myself but for the glory of God.

Link up with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2022/06/09/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-stir/

6 Comments

    • Carole Duff

      Thanks for your comment – and the salad was well received.

      Reply
  1. Sarah Myers

    Yes. We need to focus more on grace and less on counting up sins. Love the recipe!

    Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Thank you, my friend! In my better moments, I remember how much grace I’ve been given.

      Reply
    • Carole Duff

      Thank you, Paula – loved your Potter’s “stir” as well. -C.D.

      Reply

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