"God, A Consuming Fire"

"And a fire was kindled in their company; the flame burned up the wicked." (Psalms 106:18)

 Just so you know, yesterday was God showing me how compromise has taken a toll in my life. I say taken a toll, because that is exactly what compromise does; you go down this certain road and there is a toll that must be paid. It might seem like the expressway, the highway that is most traveled and with the least resistance; but everyone has their own road, their own calling, so the road less traveled is the one we personally are best suited for; that is, if we truly want to make a difference for the Lord. You might think this verse just speaks about how God cleansed some of the wicked out of the camp. I am not saying that's not the case, because it most surely is; but God's word is meant to be applied to our own lives. Everything that the children of Israel went through, everything, is a picture of you and I; our struggles with sin, God's cleansing power in our lives; our stubbornness to listen, God's wiliness to get our attention; you name it, and God has illustrated it in His chosen people for us to witness our own weaknesses and His great mercy. The title is taken from Hebrews 12:29, which says, "For our God is a consuming fire." A perfect way to view that description of God, is the same way we view the "Chief Cornerstone," and His relevance upon those who believe and don't believe. For those of us that believe, He is everything, our all-in-all, the only way to the Father; to those that don't, He is a stumbling block that makes them offended and causes their hearts to become harder and harder. Our consuming fire is pretty much the same, because when He is our God, we are consumed in His flame; which is not a bad thing for those that want to be like Jesus. Fire spreads to become more fire, burning away all that no longer matters, and leaving hearts that just want more of His fire. Just like the illustration in the verse above, God kindles a fire within us, His fire and flame that burns up the wickedness in our lives. On that note, there are certain times in each of our lives when we try to put that fire out. Maybe because it burns to close to that which we don't want to be rid of; or maybe, a fire that makes us want to get more involved in ministry, even at the cost of losing everything else. That is when that toll road comes into play; that highway which most everyone else seems to be traveling, the road that seems easiest and less burdensome to be on. But there will be a toll...

"Don't you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what I should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others, I myself might be disqualified. I don't want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness." (1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5) NLT