Stir
First I crack the egg, then stir it, put in onions and mushrooms, then stir it again. My favorite breakfast is ready to be cooked. One of my first actions of the day is to “stir up” the egg and vegetables. The result is delicious and nutritious!
Recently, I came across two Bible verses using the words “stir up”. In the book of Haggai, the people were called to rebuild the Temple, the house of the Lord. Haggai 1:14 states that “The Lord stirred up the spirit” of various key people to begin this building process. This stirring up by the Lord prompted them to take action.
On a very different note, the expression “stir up” is used in 1 Kings 21:25: “But there was no one like Ahab who sold himself to do wickedness in the sight of the Lord, because Jezebel his wife stirred him up.” Ahab allowed the influence of his wife Jezebel to stir up the sinful nature in him. This resulted in him performing wicked actions throughout his reign.
Inside of us are two natures. We have a sinful nature. As Christians, we also have a spiritual nature. The Lord stands ready to “stir up” the spirit within us to do His good work. Individuals like Jezebel with evil intentions, also stand ready to “stir up” the sinful nature to perform wicked deeds. We have a choice. Will we allow God to “stir up” the spirit within us? Or, will we allow others to “stir up” the sinful nature in us?
Lord, I pray that You would stir up Your Spirit within me and cause my life to be used of You for good.
