I Choose the Fire

The flames danced and twirled; tongues of deep burnt orange and brightest yellow melding and merging together, then flowing apart. Sparks of red and white flickering in and out of the fluidy mix, with small puddles of clearest cornflower blue anchoring the base.  All eyes were transfixed upon the constantly changing display of colors; their continual evolution mesmerizing, drawing the observers further and further into its seduction.  Flames faded and grew dim, appearing to die, only to be stirred up and leap to full blaze once again.  Burning embers glowed eerily; first dark, then bright, then dark again- a living thing that looked as if it were actually breathing.  All who fixed their gaze upon it were hard-pressed to turn away; held captive by its invisible force.  Not one moment of the fire was the same as before, and no one wanted to turn away and miss what would come next.

Fire is a mysterious, double-edged entity. It provides many hours of enjoyment for those gathered around a campfire toasting marshmallows for smores, or roasting hotdogs on tree branch forks. And who can deny the romance of snuggling near a glowing fireplace on a chilly, wintery night?
Fire provides warmth in the cold, cooks our food, purifies contaminated items, and removes structures deemed unsafe. It can provide pleasure as well as protection from harm and danger. Properly used, it is a great gift.

But a blaze can also be destructive. Buildings catch fire and destroy personal property, at times taking human lives with it.  It can leave permanent, debilitating scars on the life of one who encounters it's powers too closely.  It can cause intense pain, and rarely is extinguished without leaving a definitive, and at times ugly, reminder that it was there. Whether used for good or evil purposes, nothing that is touched by the flame remains unchanged.

Fire is a living thing. It devours what it is given for fuel, and sucks in the surrounding air as if gasping for it's last breath.  Just as a physical fire needs these things to survive, so does the invisible "fire" housed inside each of us. It,too, is fueled by the things we feed it. 

Daily we are bombarded with visual and auditory "kindling" for our inner fire. Paraded in front of us like sweets in a candy store, it's offerings draw us in.  Glamorized sex, violence, abuse, vulgarity, laziness, materialism-  all presented over and over in such ways as to cause us to become rapt in them. We can't turn our eyes away because we may miss something.  Before long, we become captivated with an unholy fire.

The burn comes when the fascination becomes a trap.  To continue watching its mysterious dance, we must continue to feed it, and just like a physical fire, this unholy fire consumes what it burns. It starts small- maybe just a smoldering- but as it is fed by continued exposure, the flames will begin to grow until the person is completely engrossed. This unholy fire leads to pain, suffering, loss, and eventual death. It's enchantment is deceptive.

But there is another fire.  It is the Holy fire of God Almighty.  Deuteronomy 4:24 states, "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God."  He is Holy, and all who come to Him will feel His purifying fire.  When we come to Him, His holiness burns and consumes all that is not of Him- evil and unrighteousness; all impurities and sin within us. Then the Holy Spirit ignites a fire within our hearts. This Holy Fire guides and directs our lives as we give ourselves to be spent for Him; living with a Holy purpose and plan from God Himself. This spiritual fire must also be fed to continue burning.  Reading God's Word, spending time worshiping and praying and singing to Him, all fuel the blaze inside us. God's all-consuming fire demands more and more of us as we become more and more like the One who created us.  It brings hope and peace; it brings eternal life.

Our lives are going to burn with either a Holy fire, or an unholy one.  Whichever one we choose, whichever one we feed, will determine the type of fire we are captivated by.  We will either be beguiled by the mesmerizing display the world presents, or we can be consumed by a Holy God, changed forever to live for Him, and with Him.  

We cannot be smoldering embers. Our inner fire will either die out and be extinguished, or it will be fanned into brilliant flame.  Which will you choose?  Will you allow the evil of this world to fan your desires into an unholy fire leading to destruction and death, or will you allow the Holy Spirit to blow the embers of your heart into a shining blaze for God? 

As for me, I choose a Holy God.  I choose THE Fire.