Fire
The first sliver of inspiration for this came as I was trying to encourage a friend. Then, it was only a short thought. Then yesterday, as I was just thinking about it, the full revelation of it struck me, so to speak. So here it is.
You know how we always want fire in everything we do? Fire for God, fire for the work we do, fire in our relationships. Fire seems, and is, the life in all that. It is passion. Without it, everything seems like a chore, something we do out of necessity, with no real purpose. So we all keep praying, wishing that there will be fire in all we do. And at times the fire comes, and we celebrate that. However, over time it dies out. Why? What we fail to realize at times, is that fire needs to be tended to, to ensure that it keeps burning. So here is my take.
You know the scientific equation for fire? Let's see it in a new light.
Fuel (God's Word, Revelations, Experiences, etc. ) + Oxygen (Time) + Heat (Holy Spirit) --> Fire
Here's a bit more info on it, and reasons why each is what they are. First up, fuel! Fuel is what keeps a fire burning. It provides the heat something to combust. In other words, it is what feeds the fire. Without fuel, the fire will not have the necessary substance to sustain itself. Likewise, God's Word, the Bible, revelations from God, and experiences form the fuel of the fire. These are what keeps the fire burning. And like fuel also, these things can and will run dry, if we do not keep adding new fuel. This would mean continuing to read His Word, continuing to seek new revelations from Him and of Him, gaining new experiences with Him. A lot of time we run on old fuel. Past experiences, past revelations, etc. And we wonder why the fire is dying. Not to say that it can't feed the fire. God's promises will never be unfulfilled. And so they can and are indeed on going fuel. Yet, we should not be complacent and happy with just what we have. That's one of the tactics the Devil uses to kill the fire. Like an engine (a machine that uses combustion, mind you) thirsts for more fuel to keep running, we should thirst for more fuel to keep the fire burning.
Same goes with relationships, whether it's with friends, family, or any group for that matter. Experiences is the fuel that reinforces what is already there. It becomes a common factor that people have. Common experiences is something that is shared only by those who experience it together. And so it is something unique between the people in the relationship. Let's take for example close friends who do everything together. They can laugh, giggle, cry, and tease each other over experiences that they have had with each other. And they would get all the inside jokes. Those things have brought them closer to each other. Now, someone outside of that group of friends, who may be a casual friend, would not have gone through those same experiences, and so would be lost when they talk about those. Ever been in a situation when some people say an inside joke, and you don't get it because you don't know how it started? That's how it's like because you don't have that experience of how and when it started. And so experiences together are important.
How does this apply to work or the things we do then? Well, if you continue to have new experiences that continue to inspire you and move you to do better, that's feeding the fire already. If you stop doing what you are passionate about, slowly, that passion will fade. As you do what you love to do, you will find greater reason to love it even more.
Next we come to oxygen. As we all know, there is the expression to "fan the flame". This is the act of adding oxygen. Fire only will combust in the presence of oxygen. Cut the oxygen supply, the fire will burn itself out. Oxygen here is time. You need time to make sure it keeps burning. Time can be time to work on the fire, like adding to the fuel (like reading the Bible, seeking God's face), or it could be time to let the heat (Holy Spirit) ignite the flame. It could even be time to rest yourself and recuperate. Never underestimate the importance of time. Without time taken to add fuel, where will the fuel come from? Sometimes it may come just like that, but most of the time the fuel needs effort to obtain, and effort cannot be made without time spent on that. What about time of rest? Seems to clash somewhat with the previous statement? Well not at all actually. Every living thing needs rest, just like how we need oxygen. It keeps you in check and helps you recuperate. Without it, you will be less efficient, and if prolonged, you will probably exhaust the fuel before you refill. And so take time to take a breather. You will need the oxygen. As for time for the Holy Spirit to ignite the fire, we must always remember that all things happen in God's perfect timing. Don't rush things. Do what you can, then chill. Selah, if you will.
Another reason why oxygen is the one used for time, is because it is the component that can be suffocated. Oxygen supply can be cut by choking. Likewise in our life, we can be so busy that it chokes up our time. We run from one activity to the next that there is no time left. This is one way in which the Devil has gotten to all of us. He has deceived us into the mindset of being busy. Too busy. And this even extends to our free time. We get distracted to do other things than refueling or resting. In fact, some of the things we deem as "resting" isn't really resting. They may be fulfilling, lightens our mood, gives us comfort, but they are neither fully benefitial nor restful, and so keeps us tied down by their empty promises of fulfillment.
The final and equally vital component, if not more than the others, is heat. For our version of the equation, it is the Holy Spirit, God. Without Him, all things are in vain. He ignites people to be on fire for Him. We on our own cannot do what He wants us to do. We burn out, at best smolder. It is when heat (power) from God comes and fills us, then only will real flames be made. And so never leave out the Holy Spirit in all we do. On the contrary, God should be the focus, the reason we do things in the first place. The Devil has used this too to kill the flame, by putting so much in our sight that it blocks our God. All we have is God, and all we will need is God. Work on your relationship with Him. It will be worthwhile, I guarantee.
So, there is my take on the subject of fire. Remember, fire only can happen when all the components are there. Without any one of them, the triangle is incomplete. Without fuel, there is no substance. Without oxygen, there is no continuation. And without the Holy Spirit, there is no ignition and power. Keep in check to work on all. Don't let the Devil stop any of these in your life. Will be hard work, but we can do it, through Christ who strengthens us. May your fire burn bright, like the sun in the sky, and shine for all to see, guiding them, and to propel you further. Amen.
