flames

Are Christians doormats? Should we, as followers of the Prince of Peace, let people walk all over us? Is that what turning the other cheek is all about?

I don’t think so. Paul, as he reminds Timothy to work his gift of the Spirit into a roaring inferno, gives this reason, in 2 Timothy 1:6-7: “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. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.”

The Spirit gives us power, not timidity. Why then does the world so often see us as weak?

I think because of the other two things the Spirit gives us: love and self-discipline. Love enables us to hold back our strength, to be gentle when we could choose not to be. Self-discipline helps us overlook the things that feel personal and care only about the things God cares about. Those things cause us to restrain our power, something impossible for those who only understand power.

That’s why Paul reminds Timothy, and us, not to let the embers of our faith burn too low. That combination of power, love and self-discipline will blaze like a bonfire in the dark night of this age, it will be that different. It will draw people. It will push back the darkness. It will change the world.

We’re not doormats. Far from it.