Fire - danger, heat
There is, in God’s Word, a word of warning and a word of promise.
This is the way we are not to go. This is the way we are to go.
* “Our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
* “The bush was not consumed” (Exodus 3:2).
* “Our God is an awesome God” (Rich Mullins) - we must never forget this.
Fire is to be respected. Our God is a holy fire. He burns away our dross.
*
“Refiner’s fire, my heart’s one desire is to be holy, set apart for
You, Lord; I choose to be holy, set apart for You, my Master, ready to
do Your will” (Brian Doerksen).
* “O God of burning, cleansing
flame, send the fire! Your blood-bought gift today we claim: send the
fire today!... We need another Pentecost! Send the fire today!” (William
Booth).
This is the inspiring and empowering fire: the Holy Spirit. “Give me oil in my lamp. Keep me burning” - burning for God.
* Isaiah 43:2 - “You will not be scorched when you walk through the fire, and the flame will not burn you.”
There were four men in the furnace of blazing fire - Jesus was there: “the fourth was like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25),
We
go through many testing times, but we are not alone. Jesus is with us.
He’s there with His grace: “My grace is sufficient for you. My strength
is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He calls us to put
our faith in Him.
* In the fiery furnace, the men were burning
for God. They weren’t being consumed by the fire. They were shining for
God. Their light was calling out to others.
Come to the light. Come to the Lord.
When
we look at these men, we must look beyond them to the Son of God. Jesus
passed through the “fire” for us. He was forsaken by God so that we
might be welcomed by God.
