We Bring the Kindling Wood; God Brings the Fire!
I can still feel the heat from the coal and wood stove located in the dining room of my childhood home. I had a morning newspaper route and when finished I would drop my bike in the back yard and head into the overstuffed chair that sat next to the stove. With a cup of hot chocolate in hand I would warm up from the radiant heat. It doesn’t get any better than that!
In order to use the stove to heat our two story house wood and coal had to be retrieved from the woodshed a few yards from the back door. One side of the shed was full of coal. The other side was full of kindling wood—easily ignited material for starting a fire. The kindling wood was in small pieces and ready to be placed at the bottom of the stove to help start the fire upon which coal would then be dumped to produce a bigger flame that would burn for hours. You can’t put coal in a cold stove and start a fire. You’ve got to start the fire with some newspaper and kindling wood. Anyone who has heated with coal knows that if you want to start a fire burning to warm your house you’ve got to have kindling wood on hand.
The same is true in our spiritual life. If we want to keep a fire burning in our hearts for the Lord we have to have kindling wood on hand. Only God can bring the fire but we bring the kindling wood.
We know that God’s fire comes through His word and the work of His Spirit. And when we bring the kindling wood the ministry of His Spirit through the word of God ignites a fire in our hearts that will burn bright and hot and radiate the love of God throughout our soul. I want to bring to the Lord things that are highly combustible—that will easily ignite when touched by His word and His Spirit. I want the fire of God to burn in my heart. What is the spiritual kindling wood we bring to the Lord?
"But the mercy of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, to such as keep His covenant, and to those who remember His commandments to do them." Psalm 103:17-18
We bring the kindling wood of the fear of the Lord. We deeply respect who He is. Humility is highly combustible!
We bring the kindling wood of keeping His covenant He has made with us through the blood of His Son. Honor is highly combustible.
We bring the kindling wood of doing His commandments purposing to do all that He says. Obedience is highly combustible.
Ka-boom!
When God’s word and His Spirit touches a heart filled with humility, honor and obedience an explosion of His grace and love takes place. The heat from this inferno melts away all apathy and spiritual indifference and a passionate love for Christ burns in its place. So hot is the radiance of this passion that those we meet feel the heat!
My brothers and sisters in Christ – let us be done with lesser things. Let’s start a fire for the glory of God!
Pastor Dan