Warming Up
It’s a cold and frosty morning and our wonderful heater has gone out. I’m not surprised as the ashes had been building up for a couple of days. As I poke around I can see there are still red hot coals in amongst the grey cold ash that has smothered the flames. As I shovel out the ashes and add paper, kindling and watch the fire spring back to life I am reminded of how sometimes our lives can be just like this.
If we are honest there are times in our walk with the Lord when things clutter our lives and we burn out. Those things are like the ashes in my heater, the fire is still there, it is just smothered by the clutter. In order to restart our spiritual fire we have to allow God to grab that shovel and remove that grey rubbish that is getting in the road. “For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.” Hebrews 12:6.
The grey stuff is not always sins or things that are not good for us. It can be things in our lives that are good and honest but they are just taking up way too much room in the plan that God has for us. After all those ashes in my heater (once they have cooled down) are going to be very useful on my garden and they will do a great deal of good to the soil but I the heater they are smothering my fire.
Once we have allowed God to clear the ashes and shown us what needs to be removed then we need to add some paper. Adding paper to a spiritual fire is a simple as opening our Bibles and finding time to read His word. I’m not saying that this is forgotten when we get busy but often we read with a “take it for granted mind”. A mind that says I’ve read this before, I know what is being said. We should read with a “What are you saying to me today Lord” attitude. Adding paper allows our fire to bust back into life spontaneously. If we add other small things such as a thankful attitude or a smile and reconnect with other Christians then our fire will really take off.
Next comes the big pieces of wood, which God puts back into the heater. These are part of the big plan that He has for you. This is why we wanted you to burn in the first place and where you have come from. This is where you start to be really effective for God, really on fire, burning and warming and affecting those around you. No, you may not see stadiums of people come to Christ, you may never get to speak to crowds of thousands. You may only affect one person but that is what made you for and it is for that, that He will one day say “…. Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” Matthew 25:23. One last thought when my heater has created enough hot coals again I will be getting that shovel and taking some of them out of the heater and starting the fire in the stove, which also went out last night.
