Monday, January 20, 2020

Our God Is A Consuming Fire

For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God” – Deuteronomy 4:24

When we surrender our lives by faith in Jesus Christ to God, we give up our right to be our own god, live our lives the way we choose. Are you familiar with the phase, “I gave my heart to Jesus” or perhaps,  “Jesus is in my heart”? When we were born again, something inside of us changed.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” –  1 Corinthians 6:19-20

The price for eternal life was paid for by Jesus Christ. At the moment that we yield our lives to God, God seals us with His Spirit and marks us has His own possession. He consumes us, if you will. Spiritually, there is nothing that remains of the old me – All God sees is Jesus in us. Practically – we live a life torn between faithfulness to Him and the constant temptation to do as we will – in spite of Who owns us. Paul described his struggle, and ours in Romans chapter 7.

"I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”  – Romans 7:21-25 

God is a consuming fire. The old is consumed and, like a Phoenix, a new me and a new you rise from the ashes. Yet we face this conundrum, this dichotomy, this apparent conflict with the truth. Why do I continue to struggle with being fully devoted to God if He saved me from my old nature and given me new life in Christ? Not trying to dodge the question, but it is really a mystery. It is not fully explained except in the light of this fact. God wants to use us – to show the world Jesus. Not merely with words, but by the way we live and do. I don’t pretend to be a theologian. I am certain there are volumes of books that have been written on the subject. The Bible does not tell us explicitly why God chose to use us, but He does.  After study of His written revelation to mankind, what we can conclude is that He intends to use us for His eternal purposes.  Generation after generation of us. 

My generation is the next to pass. In fact I see it happening all around me with increased frequency.  People I have serve alongside in kingdom work, have passed through the gates of heaven before me. One day it will be my turn and yours as well.  Our lives are but a tick of the clock in eternity, but the way we live in between ticks, God intends that it will have eternal significance in the lives of others. Your faithfulness – my faithfulness matters. It is not just an issue of managing my personal sin, but being faithful to God’s purpose for me.  That is true for all of us.  The clock is ticking – use the time God has given you well.

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.” – Jude 24-25

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

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