Fall: Week Eleven
Let the Fire Burn
“Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
~ I Thessalonians 5:19 ~
In case you haven’t noticed, it tends to start getting a bit cold outside this time of year. It is important to not only light the fire in the furnace but to also light the fire for Christ within. Paul’s final instructions in his first letter to the Thessalonian church (5:12-28) were to work together to keep moving forward and not to become complacent in the church. Encourage, rejoice, pray, and love were his words of choice. These words are verbs, verbs require action, action requires motivation, and this motivation comes from the Holy Spirit. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18) No matter what is going on, we are called to keep our hearts warm by the fire of the Spirit.
In the book Everything You Always Wanted to Know About God (but were afraid to ask), Eric Metaxas points out that this internal fire can take shape in two very different and yet two very similar ways. The fire of love and the fire of lust. No, I am not talking ‘birds and bees,’ I am talking about love for Christ and lust of religion. These are two very different perspectives that are quite often lumped into one category – “Christian.” Yes, we are called to be passionate about what we believe; we are called to be passionate about the love story between Jesus Christ and His bride the Church. What we are called to be passionate and zealous – ‘sold-out’ if you will – about is our relationship with Jesus Christ; not merely a religion, not a moral code, not a social club, not a particular style of music, not someone’s age, gender, or ethnicity, but the love and mercy of the cross.
“It only takes a little spark to get a fire going; I know the fire is in your heart, so go ahead and show it!” – (Audio Adrenaline – “Start a Fire”) I don’t know about you, but this winter when the wind blows and the clouds get dark, I am going to let the Son shine through it all and warm my frigid heart. The spark can be the easy part; the real challenge comes with the feeding and sustaining of the fire once it is lit. This is where Satan comes in and tries to snuff out your flame. Be like the children who sing: “Won’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine! Won’t let Satan blow it out, I’m gonna let it shine!” Stay grounded in the Word and in prayer. Winter can be tough, lots of sports to get excited about, extra time surfing the increasing dangerous internet, and the over-secularization of holidays that used to be dedicated to family and to the worship and thankfulness of the grace of God.
Revelation 3:15 tells us that God does not like lukewarm; He prefers us to be either hot or cold. So this winter, are you going to be hot with the fire of the Holy Spirit? Or are you going to be cold with a heart of stone. Hot or cold, it’s your choice.
