When Paul came to Melita, the barbarous people showed him kindness and kindled a fire because of the rain and the cold. They made Paul comfortable and created a conducive environment to help him deal with the cold, but Paul later went to fetch wood to add to the fire. They made an initial arrangement for Paul, but Paul took it a notch higher; he added efforts to what he met; he stepped up the game he met.
Friend, when God brings you into a good place with good people, He is also expecting you to grow. God expects you to add efforts to the favour you have already received; God expects you to add value to the opportunities you have already received; God expects you to rise above your entry level of favour and graduate to the point of sustaining what has been put in your hands; God expects you to fetch your own ‘wood’ for the ‘fire’.
Ordinarily, when a fire is set up, it will gradually blaze and later begin to die down except more fuel/wood is added to make it increase. So if Paul failed to get more wood, the fire he was given would have died down. If you fail to grow and make necessary efforts to add to your fire, that fire will go off in a matter of time. If you don’t grow, you will run out of fire; if you don’t grow, your success will end; your growth sustains your progress.
Make a commitment to add to whatever God has put in your hands; grow in grace and in favour; grow in your efforts; do better than you did yesterday; do more than you used to do; do more than men expect from you; add value to the opportunities that God has brought your way; even when God has favoured you, do more; even when favour is speaking for you, play your own part.
Don’t be counted among those who never fetch extra wood to add to their fire. Play your part, do more, and your success will be sustained.
