Fire
......a consuming fire. Get close and you become warm from the inside out. Fire covers your heart and Father begins to burn out all the crap we've collected over the years. Get close and He begins treating us like a silver smith treats his hand crafted work....... Deborah at Sterling Grace Jewelry...(.this is not a plug but I do love her scripture jewelry) explains the process best.... ""Sterling silver is what we use because it most resembles the Christian life. Before accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior we are lost, dark, and without form. Before sterling silver is made into jewelry, it is black and formless. The silver must YIELD to the master's touch and a series of processes such as: Heat, Molding, Tumbling, and Polishing, to become a shiny piece of jewelry.
However the effects of time and environment cause sterling silver to tarnish. Again Yielded to the master's touch, it is polished and returned to its shiny state. After we allow Jesus to come into our lives we will experience many events that change, mold, and conform our lives to the Master's plan.
While we are still saved, as jewelry is still jewelry, we are still sinners capable of sinning. We must repent and YIELD to the Master daily and be cleansed from our sin. Once cleansed and restored, we may continue in the work and fellowship with the Master."
....a consuming fire. While in His presence we are protected, covered, warm. Turn you face away from Him and it instantly becomes cold. The feeling of warmth, that you once had, becomes something of a memory and seems so hard to get back to at times. Fighting the urge to run away when we are in the midst of the fire/purifying process and it hurts on all sides even though God is making us shiny, we still want to hold on to what makes us cold. We want to jump ship before He is finished polishing us up and we continue to trust that we....WE....know best.....and the tarnish builds up.
............. so interesting to me that God can destroy or purify with the very same method of fire. Complete opposites but they both bring Him glory in the end. He destroys what is evil and keeps what is good. Just like Deborah was talking about with the silver and the Christian life. "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe". Because I have the Holy Spirit dwelling in me I CAN NOT BE SHAKEN! God's Kingdom will not be shaken. Fire might surround me but it will not destroy me but PURIFY ME. When I feel like I am getting burned I will not let go early before God has changed something in me. I will not turn my head to coldness of this world. I will hang on to Him and I will praise Him in the Fire, I will worship HIM in the fire, and I will give Him the REVERENCE and AWE that He deserves. Because He is FOR ME and He is MY CONSUMING FIRE! I am His and the fire is meant for my good. He is the Fire!! And I am in Awe of how BIG HE IS.....how POWERFUL HE IS...and how much He loves us!Oh Father, I am not sure this makes sense but the last few days of having my quiet time in the chair beside the fire has changed many things for me. I thank you that even though i was so sick on Sunday that you brought a fresh word to me. I want to be consumed by you. I want to be changed by you. This whole week I have fought my time with you and each day that I did not give in to my flesh you blessed me in abundance. You burn us because you want to make us shine for you. It is such an intimate picture to me. I just visualize you holding me and cleaning out my ugly stuff and shining up my soul so that I am a light for you. Oh the scripture is so DEAD ON...."let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe" because you are worthy of that. You are worthy of complete worship. I ask for those believers out there on the fringe to be pulled in and warmed up by you. Set them ablaze Father, in Jesus Name. Show them a sample of what warmth and joy you bring to the heart that is His. I will not run from you when I am afraid of the fire. I will run through it to you. Give us the desire to be more. Shine us up so that all around know that we belong to YOU! I love you so much. I thank you for the Revival that is happening and I stand in AWE OF YOU!
O MAY ALL WHO COME BEHIND
US FIND US FAITHFUL;
MAY THE FIRE OF OUR DEVOTION
LIGHT THEIR WAY.
MAY THE FOOT PRINTS THAT WE LEAVE
LEAD THEM TO BELIEVE,
AND THE LIVES WE LIVE INSPIRE TO OBEY
O MAY ALL WHO COME BEHIND
US FIND US FAITHFUL!
amen, amen!