UP IN SMOKE!
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“We call ourselves Christians, but if you are like me, sometimes you are desperately ashamed of how dimly your light burns. There is far more smoke than fire: so little prayer, so little real testimony, so much depression and discouragement. But the Lord says He will not extinguish the smoking flax.”
Isaiah 42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench; He will bring forth justice for truth.
Our Lord does not deal harshly with us if we are bruised and smoldering. To the contrary, He comes and gently binds up our brokenness and blows softly on our dying embers until we regain strength and burn again with first love’s fire!
Many years ago, BC ( i.e. Before Children), my wife and I rented a 200 year old cabin in the late Fall. The only way to heat it was with wood. The tenants before us had exhausted all of the dead wood on the property. I had to cut down living trees. I made a terrible discovery: dead wood ignites faster and burns hotter than green wood. Green wood is resistant to fire, while dead wood has relinquished is resistance. That was our winter at Valley Forge! Thank the Lord the quilts and blankets were plentiful! I don’t think we were actually warm all Winter long!
What a picture! As long as we remain green, or we are still living to some degree for ourselves, we cannot do much more than smoke! Christ’s desire is that we be sizzling saints and not smoldering saints! However in His great mercy, He abides with us to restore the fire of love in hearts for Him!
In counseling many couples over the last 35 years of pastoral ministry, I have often told the couples that someone has to die in order to restore the fire of their love. Too often we lose first love’s fire because we depart from first love’s works. I have told couples to go back and steadfastly do the things they were doing when they were so in love! It is the same with our relationship with our Lord. Die to our will and live for His. In practicing this, our hearts will blaze again with burning love for Jesus! Wouldn’t you rather go out in a blaze of glory instead of just going up in smoke?
Every blessing!
—Tom