Fire can be a dangerous thing, in fact, when fire seems out of control, most people wisely run from it as fast as they can, physically speaking.
There are times in our lives when the temperature grows to what we think are unreasonable limits. A fire seems to burn around us and we spend time looking for the quick escape. The heat of our situation seems to increase to unbelievable new limits, and we sometimes faint from fear.
But, what if the fire wasn't meant to kill us, only to purify us, to burn away the dross of our lives. What if the fire could be for those good reasons, would we have the courage to learn to live within the fire, and not flee from it? Could we let it burn the things that hold us back? The things that limit us?
It is a completely natural reaction to not want to live in the fire. Maybe it's a supernatural reaction to choose to try to live within the fire. I have learned in my relatively short time on this planet, that sometimes when you need to live in a very hot spot for a while, it's not something to fear, in terms of your demise. Actually it can be exactly the place you need to be living, and the fire has it's purpose too.
Oh yes it's hot and it hurts like crazy, but it will not kill you. Not if you posture yourself before God in willingness, allowing the fire to burn what it needs to burn. It does hurt more if we thrash about and some parts of our lives gets singed. But if we let the fire burn, and watch what it's burning in our lives, we might be surprised to see what's being taken out.
You might be encouraged even.
I guess that's my thought coming out of two days of hard meetings.
Tonight I'm hanging with Johanna.
Nite.
and burn baby burn.
Unfortunatley, the only times I really find this encouraging are when I'm NOT engulfed in flames.
ReplyDeleteI think I know what you mean. But I don't like that kind of heat. Maybe it melts away the hard stuff in me but it hurts so bad and it seems as if you get abandonned in the fire sometimes. No one else wants to go through that with you. Or maybe it is just the sort of place where you can't take others along for various reasons and in looking for where God is in it - at the time the flames are hottest sometimes you can't see him.
ReplyDeleteBut it will not kill me, as you remind me. And God is always good and has some use for the fire.
Reading your thoughts reminded me over and over again of the hymn "Refiner's Fire". That hymn continues to bring back memories of a time of "refining" that was both difficult and cleansing. I wish that few would have to go through that type of "purifying" BUT....when sin adheres to a person, the Lord's way is to cleanse from within and sear away that which keeps us separate from Him. The purpose of the fire.
ReplyDeleteI have many thoughts running through my head, all of which are good to ponder upon. Thanks Randall for fanning the embers!
It wouldn't be so bad if only the refiner's fire were a one-time purification after which I could be certified as pure gold for happily ever after. However in my case I seem to be back in the furnace on a regular basis. Or worse, I ignore the impurities and excuse them away.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAmen.