On fire for God

 

A passion for Thee, O Lord, set a fire in my soul, and a thirst for my
God. Hear Thou my prayer, Lord Thy power impart, not just to serve,
but to love Thee with all of my heart."- Joe Zichterman

 

A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, stopped going.  After a few weeks, the minister decided to visit him.  It was a chilly day.  That evening, the minister found the man at home all alone sitting by a blazing fire.

Guessing the reason for his minister's visit, the man welcomed him, and led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.  The minister made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.  

After some minutes, he took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth all alone.  Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. 

The host watched all this in quiet contemplation.  As the one lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. 

The minister glanced at his watch and chose this time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire.  Immediately it began to glow once more, with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. 

As the minister reached the door to leave, his host said, with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your fiery sermon.  I shall be back in church next Sunday".

Have you ever had that feeling where you experience a great 'spiritual high' for a few days and you get back to the world soon after, but you cannot help but think "How long will this renewed fire in my heart last this time?" or " How soon before I fall again and get back to all my old ways?" . 

This weekend,I had the opportunity to spend quality time with God.His message was clear. And for a change, I found myself listening, more than talking. But even as I sit here, and write his, I assure you, in over the past 24 hours, I find myself waiting for me to go 'spiritually dry' again. What a thing to wait for! 

And then I found my answer. There is a way of ensuring that the spark that fills my heart right now never goes dry-All it takes is the desire to constantly want to be in the presence of God. And God will bless that desire. 

Don't let the fire that is in you burn out. When you feel it fading away, ask God to burn you up again, and this time ask Him for a fire that will ignite in you the desire to want to be in His presence for ever, and just like the coal, watch how he sets you ablaze. 

Olivia Pereira 

HSI Media