Ezekiel 24:10-11
So heap on the wood and kindle the fire. Cook the meat well, mixing in the spices; and let the bones be charred. Then set the empty pot on the coals till it becomes hot and its copper glows, so that its impurities may be melted and its deposit burned away.
The heat from a woodstove is comfy and comforting. Early in the morning before most people are awake, it is a joy to kindle a fire and watch as the flames from the kindling start to ignite the larger chunks of wood.
Perhaps I am a little strange, but I enjoy praying as I gaze into the flames. This morning as I meditated in front of my small woodstove, I noticed something. In order for the larger pieces of wood to burn, it was necessary to have a red hot bed of coals to support new wood that is added. It is inevitable that the coals will die out, but if more fuel is added, they pass the fire along.
It struck me that the Christian life is very much like that. If you do not have a bed of on-fire believers, it is difficult to produce believers who are on fire for Jesus. Perhaps that is why we often refer to some people as lukewarm Christians.
As you truthfully examine your walk with the Lord, where do you see yourself in relation to the fire? I want to be consumed by the fire of God in my life in order to make those who follow after me blaze brightly. Consume me Lord!
May God richly bless you as you bless others by your words and actions!
– – – Pastor Cecil