Flaming for Him

Campfires are the perfect place to sing songs, tell jokes, and warm up on a crispy fall eve. They give enough light to see and enough warmth to brown your marshmallow.
An ember snaps away from the fire and glows brightly amidst the dark, flaring for a second or two until it fades to a darker black than coal. We swat them away as minor trifles to a fire, but in reality, join enough of those embers together and you start a forest fire.
Smoke wafts toward your face with smoldering heat. We cough and move away, but, in reality, enough smoke can choke out life.
So what does this have to do with our standing with God? We all know the dangers and the benefits from a fire; but do we realize the potential and fire from God’s people?
The most traditional form of getting light was starting a fire. And, since we are the Lights of the World, I thought it fitting to study fire a bit more in depth. So, take a church, or a family dedicated to God. “Where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them” is the promise that God’s presence burns brightly in us as we gather for His glory. We’re like that bright campfire that stands out on a chilly October night. People can see the glow from it for miles away, although they might not be able to appreciate the warmth.
But, for a fire to continue burning, it needs to be continually growing. Forest fires start from embers breaking away and lighting up a nearby dried leaf, and the flames joining in to engulf the pit fire emerging. But if an ember breaks away and is not joined by its flames, it simply fades away like the pesky campfire pricks we carelessly swat away.
And, for a church to continue growing in the Lord, for the church of God to continue being set afire for Him, we need to be constantly setting others on fire. We need to have those embers breaking away to find that leaf just waiting to be found. But most importantly, the flames of the church need to follow and engulf the new addition. One person alone can only do so much, but when reaching becomes a church ministry, so many new flames can develop! To keep stressing this point would never be enough, because too often we are guilty of instead being the smoke that develops when a church begins to smolder. Instead of bringing new life, we choke out the surrounds, choking our own feeds, our own growth in Christ to nada.
Where are the flames of our passion for Christ? Where are the flames of His love for the lost?
Every fire requires one spark to ignite it. Let’s be His spark.

For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:22
His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot. Jeremiah 20:9b
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

Now, look at Me

My little brother learned how to do a tripod, or the base of a headstand. He was so proud that he could do such a thing, he would beg and plead and cajole each family member to watch him at least 5 times a day. He would show all his friends, and eventually the “Hey, look at me!” just became background music to our family.
However, we went up to a wedding a couple of weeks later. There was an open dance floor, and all my little cousins ran out and started showing off their dance moves. Asher ran out there, and his head went down and he stayed there, doing solid tripods in the middle of the dance floor. And with everyone he begged to look at him, their eyes would glaze over, or would scold him from doing his move in the middle of the floor for fear of him being hurt.
And, like so many other things, this got me thinking as to how that applied to our spiritual life. I didn’t have to think too hard.
With school and work and family and Bible Studies and Bible Clubs and church and drama and so much more piled up in my life, it’s so tempting to run ahead and let everyone know “Look at me! I’ve got my life together, I can balance everything, I can handle everything all on my own!” Except for one problem. Everytime I reach that point in my life, where I think I can finally be able to say that, a curveball gets thrown my way. And everytime I toot my own horn, the looks and the reactions I get from people spell a clear message: Now is not the time and the place for this; don’t hurt yourself.
I was thinking that I had finally gotten everything caught up a couple weeks ago. And then that proverbial curveball came along- I had to not only sing for chapel, but I was going to talk, give a little message to my entire school! Public speaking is not my forte- I can do it, but I get so nervous, I think I shake the entire earth off its axis. But I still went ahead. I wrote my entire thing out weeks ahead of time, I got everything planned to a T. And the day of, I went to school, ready to just get this thing over with. I found out nothing was set for the music powerpoints- none of my singers were there to practice together, and then to make things worse, I had assigned another student to do part of the message. Except that very moment, I discovered he would no longer be doing that! Now I had an extra ten minutes to fill! And on the verge of a breakdown, I just felt God saying, “Now, look at Me.”
This was His chapel. I had dedicated my day to do everything for the glory of Him, not for what people would think of me. This was His time, for nothing surprises my God. There is a time and a season for everything, and I wish I had discovered earlier that the time and the season for seeking God and doing things for His glory is all the time! I didn’t have to wait until last minute for God’s peace, I could have had that all along!
To make a long story short, my teacher miraculously found all the powerpoints. My singers showed up 5 minutes before chapel, enough time to quickly run through all the songs. And when I went up to speak, God worked everything out to last exactly to the time that we needed for chapel. Praise God, my Saviour is worthy to be sought first!
Now, I encourage you. What are you crying for attention for? What is your claim to fame? I challenge you to look at God instead. After all, who gave you those abilities, those talents, those opportunities? Who made you?
Take time to step back. Take to time seek God. Take time to hear Him say, “Now, look at Me.”

Hear my voice when I call, O LORD; be merciful to me and answer me. My heart says of you, "Seek his face!" Your face, LORD, I will seek. Psalm 27:7-8
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3