Burn Baby, Burn!
We could use a consuming fire in the world today. What a great affirmation of the power and majesty of God. God is like a consuming fire. It is easy for me to put God in a box and categorize Him with the likes of created things. I forget to often that God is like a consuming fire and nothing can get in the way or stop His consumption. God will take on all that gets in His path and transform it into a force for the fire. As God moves; God consumption grows. Perhaps the Church is called to be a piece of that consuming fire; an instrument of this moving. What happens then when the church doesn’t see herself as an instrument of God’s consuming fire and doesn’t move in the world? When this happens God doesn’t look like a consuming fire to the world, no threat to our selfish lifestyle. God looks like the church; a stagnant, irrelevant institution that exists based upon routine. Maybe God is calling the church to more; maybe God is calling the church to be a consuming fire; an instrument of the Holy Spirit; a force in the world that will take on and consume the brokenness of the world and be an instrument of God’s grace which can transform that brokenness into wholeness. To be anything else is to not live out the call; it is to disobey and God will hold me accountable.
God, I pray that your consuming fire would consume my life. I pray it would burn up and extinguish the sin of my life and set me on fire for you today. May you move throughout my life today that I may be an instrument of your consuming fire within the world. Sometimes it is so easy and feels so natural to stand still. In fact, at times when I get ready to move and over whelming amount of fear comes over my life. Lord, may your fire burn out that fear; may you infect me with a confidence that believes and depends on your consuming fire. Lord help me to be attentive to your Spirit’s movement today that I may not miss out on an opportunity. Keep me focused and alert at all times. Keep me on point that I can act in rhythm with your fire. Lord, consume this community; and please let me join in that consumption. Make us into a force for you; bring those people to me that your consuming fire is the dominant force in this community. May your create in us to be the church here that authentically lives out our call to join your consuming work within the world. Amen!
