Building A Fire

“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame, the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.” II Timothy 1:6

 

Have you ever tended a fire?  It is amazing to me to see how a fire can go from burning so brightly that it scalds your face as you stand near it, to being just a soft glow of an ember in a short period of time.  Fires are fickle things.  Depending on what you add to it, what material you are burning and how much air it gets makes huge difference in the result.

As a child, my father often grilled steaks over an open metal grate style grill that he would build a fire under.  This was placed in the dirt, and he would build a fire underneath.  (Yes, I am showing my age and possibly my ignorance as I do not know the correct term for this type of grill!)  Nevertheless, he would dig a trench around the fire pit to avoid any embers leaping out and starting a fire.  One day after grilling, he smothered the fire with water, drenched the ground around it and filled the trench with water.  Afterwards, we went for a long Sunday-afternoon drive in the woods.  When we returned a couple of hours later, there was literally 40-60 acres of land on fire.  Mercifully, our home was undamaged; there was a wide ring around the house that did not catch fire.  We spent a great deal of time that afternoon trying to put out a fire that had seemed dead when we left.

Indeed, fire is a fickle thing.  This is also true of the fire of the Holy Spirit.  The gifting, calling and anointing that he places on us must be tended.  There are seasons that it will burn brightly and other seasons where it will smolder and appear to die.  During those seasons, we have to “stir up” what is there so that it can rekindle and return to its former purpose and brightness.  This is done a number of ways- increased Bible study, prayer time, attending conferences, calling a fast, and purposeful time spent in worship.  I have had all of these things stir up the flame in my life during different seasons.  The important thing is that we “tend the flame” enough to know the condition we are in and recognize the first signs of burning out so that we can reignite the flame within us.

Lord, please show me the things in my life that are smothering the flame of your presence in my life.  Help me to stir it up, in Jesus’ Name.  Amen.

Sherri