getting back in the fire

used this analogy at youth group i spoke at on Friday – amazing bunch of young people in the lesser known place of Factreton – and then completely convicted during worship singing time in church yesterday morning about how not there i am – making amends this week…

log in the middle of a fire – burns solidly, adds to warmth and function of fire

log on edge of fire – still burning but maybe not so intensely, easier for it to roll away or be taken out

burning log removed from fire – will be on fire for a while, then hot for a long while, but the longer it stays out of the fire the colder it gets until eventually it is completely cold and ineffective

that’s us if we take our focus off being still and knowing that He is God and the remaining in Him that Jesus speaks about in John 15 (vine and branches) – it is so important that we stay in the midst of the fire (devouring the truth of the Bible, worshipping in community, spending time in prayer, speaking and listening, meditating on God and His Truth and so on) so that we can be affective and contribute to people standing near the fire or the meal cooking on the fire

if we lose that we will grow colder and eventually lose our flame completely

it is the starting point, it is our foundation, everything else should come from there

the coolest part is that it is quite easy to throw a log back on the fire and it does not take long for the wood to catch again – and so that is what i am going to be looking at doing this week – climbing back on that fire

burn me Jesus, set me on fire with Your passion, with Your Love, with Your mission.

of fireplaces and fireworks

‘Sometimes we forget that God is fire. We confuse Him with fireplaces and fireworks. We tend to think of Him as a fireplace when we make God too much our friend, as if He were a peer. We sometimes conclude that God is our co-pilot helping us along the way while we remain the pilot. This is the kind of fire that warms you and keeps you comfortable, while at the same time remaining a safe distance away. The fireplace is contained and controlled. But a God-like fire is much different.

Sometimes we see God too much as fireworks: the ecstatic experience of shallow celebration or worship that takes us high but leaves us low. It is the fireworks of praising God on Sunday and forsaking Him on Monday. The fireplace and the fireworks each create an illusion of the fire.’

[Erwin McManus, ‘an unstoppable force’ – page 179 in chapter ‘Soul Environments’]