Where do you find a dog with no legs? Right where you left him!
Paul told Timothy to “fan into flame” the gift of God that had been given to him. You’ve got a gift from God, too. You possess something - some quality, some talent, some vision, that God has given you to use for his glory. If fear keeps you from using it, or anything else restrains you, God will find you as a small flicker rather than a flame. He wants you to fan into flame what he has given you to use. Remember that God did not give a spirit of timidity. God has given you a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim 1:7; NIV).
If you allow fear, misplaced priorities, indifference, or laziness to keep you from fanning the flame, God will find you right where he left you. If you fan into flame the gift God gave, he will find you blowing and going, bringing glory to him, and on that road that leads to life. That’s Life at Work!

In A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, William Law wrote, “One man succeeds in everything, and so loses all; another meets with nothing but crosses and disappointments, and thereby gains more than all the world is worth.” We need to hear that message, that commentary on the words of Jesus, over and over again. Hearing them and believing them will help us deal with the frustrations, disappointments, and feelings that injustices reign in the present. It will also help us plan and prioritize our futures in a way that will lead us to long-term triumph rather than short-term satisfaction. Is your idea of safety and security in this world enough like Peter’s that Jesus would say to you, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?” That’s Life at Work!

Aaron Weaver died last Thursday. He, along with eight others, perished when their helicopter was shot down in Iraq. He was supposed to come home next month. Aaron was a hero. Having recently battled cancer, the Army was not going to send him to Iraq. It wasn’t that he wasn’t important to the battle; in fact, Aaron’s heroic actions in Mogadishu, Somalia, won him the Bronze Star in 1994 for "extreme courage." He was even mentioned in the best-selling book Black Hawk Down about that an attack on American soldiers in Somalia and the rescue that followed. He convinced the Army that he was well enough to go, according to the New York Times.
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). Christian warfare is ongoing daily sacrifice. We must answer the call every day! Are there experiences of the past or circumstances in the present that have taken you out of the battle and stolen your faith to get in the fight? I’m so glad that America has men like Aaron Weaver who know the value of staying in the fight for freedom. We should be that dedicated to the true freedom offered by the Son of God. Don’t let them keep you out of the battle for your soul! That’s Life at Work!