Keep the Fire Burning

Keep the Fire Burning

Sitting in front of a fireplace on a cold day can be a very enjoyable experience. There is something special about the sights, the sounds, and the sensations coming from the heat, the glow, and the crackle of the fire. But sooner or later, the fire is going to dwindle unless someone takes care of it.

Fire requires three things, fuel, oxygen, and ignition. Tending the fire means we need to supply it with one of those three elements to keep it going. We may need to throw more wood on the fire, we may need to let it breathe, or we may need to rekindle the flame.

In much the same way, our spiritual lives need attention to avoid going dim. Jesus said he would baptize us with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Jeremiah spoke of God's word burning within him like fire in his bones. On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in the upper room in the form of fire.

God wants to light a fire within each of us. He wants our hearts to burn with love for him and for the souls of humanity. The Bible calls our God a consuming fire, and he doesn't want us living in lukewarm and apathetic ways.

In Luke 24, Jesus appears to two disciples as they walked the road to Emmaus. At first they didn't recognize him, but eventually they realize it was the resurrected Christ. After he vanishes from their sight, they say to each other, did not our hearts burn within us as we walked together and he taught us the Scriptures along the way?

When was the last time your heart burned within you as Jesus walked alongside of you and taught you from the Scriptures? That's what Empower NBCA School of Ministry is all about. Making a time and a place for the fire of God to capture our hearts and keep the fires burning.