.png)
How does a fire start? The conditions must be right to sustain the fire once it is sparked. If there is not enough fuel to feed the fire the spark will not catch. It is the same way when God enters our lives. He prepares our hearts and provides the spark but it is up to us to fuel the fire. God provides the means to reconnect in relationship with Him. He longs for relationship with each of us but He is not going to force us, instead He woos our hearts and He waits.
The amazing thing about a lit lamp is the darkness cannot exist in the presence of the light. As soon as the flame is light the darkness withdraws. As long as the lamp has fuel it will burn clear and bright and the darkness will not be able to overcome it.
There are many times when I get labeled as “religious”. I find it ironic since I am not an avid fan of religion but it seems that it is the only way some people know how to describe me when they don’t quite understand why I cling to my faith the way I do. I have even been told that I take my faith a little too far. What they don’t understand is it is not my religion I cling to it is my relationship with God that I passionately pursue. Like any relationship if invested in it will grow and flourish, if not it will falter and die. God lit a spark in my heart when He introduced Himself into my life and when I accepted that gift of forgiveness it became a flicker. As I continue to invest in the relationship I am now so blessed to have it become a flame and my prayer is that it can be a light for someone else lost in the darkness. Does this mean I have things all figured out? Absolutely not. It means I know the source of all that I need and I regularly go to draw from that well of God.
The things I do, going to church, reading the Bible, praying and worshipping are not to earn forgiveness or to make me somehow worthy. I do them because I am so overcome with gratefulness at what He has done for me. It is my joy to walk with God through this earthly existence. It’s not I ‘have to’ its I GET TO.
How do you ever do enough to worship a God that saved you from the consuming darkness? How do you ever praise Him enough for restoring that which was your biggest and most painful moment and turn it into your biggest celebration? How do you ever thank Him enough for loving you when you were so unworthy? My only recourse is to love and pursue knowing this God, the One who loves my soul and paid an unbelievable price just to say I love you. I could study His Word forever and sing His praises till I lose my voice, serve Him until I can no longer stand and it would still fall so short of all that He is worth. All I can do is fuel the fire and pray ‘ Jesus take this spark, make it a flame and may it press back the darkness and lead someone else to this precious love you have for them’.
Are you feeding your fire? Are you tending your flame? Do you know that God longs to give you His light so you will never be in darkness again? I pray that if you don’t know Him that you will come to a moment where you meet this God who loves you more than you can ever imagine. If you do know Him I pray that we all fuel the flame that we are blessed to carry that it might pierce the darkness and ransom many. May what started as a flicker become a raging fire!