stirring up our love for God. praying

Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

Summer is here and we’ve had some amazingly beautiful evenings. A couple of weeks ago on a beautiful, clear-sky, slightly cool evening, I decided it was the perfect night to build a fire in the fire pit in our garden.

Once it was built, I coaxed Renee to come down and sit with me and enjoy the evening and fire. It’s funny how you can sit and watch the flames and enjoy the beauty of a campfire for so long.

Every so often, the flames started to get smaller and one of us would have to stir up the fire by adding another log or two and blowing on the embers to get it burning strong again—that is if we wanted the fire to keep on burning. We talked about and reflected on how much this reminded us of our spiritual life with the Lord.

God is the one who built a fire in us to love and serve Him. It certainly took no small amount of work for Him to kindle that flame in us, but once it got going, it became red-hot—just like this fire we were trying to keep hot. But over the years, we’ve realized that even a red-hot fire for God can grow cold if that “fire” within us isn’t stoked and stirred up. And how does that happen? When we ask Him to speak to our hearts as we read His Word, as we pray, as we serve Him, and as we reach out to others with His love. Stoking the fire for the Christ-life that God has put in our heart is something we all have to do daily. If we don’t, the flames shrink and the embers eventually go cold. But, when we do stir up that fire out of a sincere love and appreciation for God, then just like the fire in the fire pit, we get to watch and experience the beauty of the presence and joy it brings into our life.

II Timothy 1:6 AMP ~ That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you…

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

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