“Get on fire for God and men will come and see you burn.” ― John Wesley
As believers, the symbol of fire is used multiple times throughout scripture to describe the lifestyle of followers of Jesus. When I think of a fire, I think about a community gathering, the roasting of marshmallows, and roasting hotdogs. The fire is the very purpose that a community of people has gathered, it is central. As followers of Jesus, we are living a life that is on fire. I bold texted “fervent in spirit,” because it actually comes from the word zeo, which means to boil with heat. Remember that scripture in Revelation 3:15-16 where John is talking about how we as Christians need to be either hot or cold, being lukewarm is not the way of following Jesus.
As we have this picture of a community of people surrounding a fire, let’s think about the three main components to a fire: fuel, oxygen, and heat. Without all three working together, a fire will not exist. In Matthew 24:12, it proclaims that in the last days, the love of many will grow cold. As followers of Jesus, we want to be labeled “fire.” A fire is not easily put out but takes work to maintain.
One way is by feeding the flames. The fuel for the fire is more firewood. This is our hunger for the word of God. This is not a mundane daily routine that is done out of a Christian’s duty to be a Christian but a way in which you approach the Word hungrily expecting to hear the very voice of God. Another way is by stoking the furnace. The fire needs oxygen to continue to burn. This is our time of prayer. Prayer can be seen as breath, the very oxygen we need to keep our fire going. The last component is heat. Without the heat component, the fire would not “burn.” John Wesley states above that our lives are meant to burn for others to see. This is the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we don’t allow the Holy Spirit to move in and through our lives, the very heat of our fire will become cold.
IronMaker’s Daily Challenge: Take a look at your life with God. Has it become cold? What component of the fire do you need to ignite in order to burn again?
Prayer: Come Holy Spirit. Create in me a new Spirit to live as though I am burning and on fire for you. May my life become a fire so that it can spread to others. Thank you, Lord, for giving me the Holy Spirit. I love you, Lord. Amen.
Rev. Kristina Crabtree
Minister of Spiritual Formation
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