Monday, March 3, 2014

Fire!


I certainly have been talking a lot about fire in these last few posts. Well you know how life is.. I don't have to tell you that it involves many 'fiery trials'... Sigh...

Here, for emphasis,  some excerpts from I Peter1:

"...God ... has caused us to be born again to a living hope ... to an inheritance that is imperishable... kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith...  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while ... you have been grieved by ... trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold ... may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ."

I imagine that if any of us heard the cry: "Fire!" adrenaline would shoot through our bodies as we scramble to escape danger: we know there's a fire that is out of control.

God's fire might feel devastating but it is never out of control. It will test our faith. How so? By showing us whether or not in the fire, we call on Him. Do we chose to trust Him or do we turn to our own devices to deal with the pain? Do we withdraw our affections from things below and place them on things above? We might do it out of desperation but God will use it for good.  How I love God's economy.

Now the wonderful end of those scriptures above:

"Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls."


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