Consumed By Fire
I am loving our new game Joy Jam! Are you having fun playing? We have so many amazing artists that create such phenomenal music.
We play several songs by a band called, Consumed By Fire--What If and First Things First are two of them. I was reflecting on the uniqueness of the band's name and how our God is a consuming fire. What does that really mean? While I don't know for certain, I wonder if they chose this name to emphasize the holiness of God and God's desire to make us more like him.
Holiness is an essential part of God’s nature. God’s holiness and purity are part of God’s goodness and beauty. Holiness is God’s essence. Holiness is a divine attribute. God is pure. There is no sin, evil or darkness in God. The bible proclaims the holiness of God throughout scripture.
Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
awesome in splendor, doing wonders? (Exodus 15:11)
For I am the Lord your God; sanctifying yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. (Leviticus 11:44)
And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:3)
Hebrews 12:29, “Our God is a consuming fire.”
God loves us so much that he longs for us to be pure and works tirelessly to make us pure. God is a fire that consumes the chaff, that smelts out the impurities. And do you know how he does this? By forgiving and loving us.
God is a consuming fire. He spoke to Moses out of the flaming burning bush. God answered Elijah’s prayer on Mount Carmel by fire. God came down in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in cloven tongues of fire. God is like fire. God is like the fire called down from Heaven by Elijah that burned up his enemies.
In other words the fire of God is a source to purify and make better or holier; like we are diamonds in the rough as the saying goes and we need to chip off or remove the dirt and grime, the rough edges, so that we may shine brilliantly as intended. God is not just in the destruction business-- wiping out cities and destroying evil people, there is something else to His consuming fire and that something else is the power to refine us and make us new creations in Jesus.
This element of refining and purifying, a part of the consuming fire of God is one that many of us are not so sure we want to deal with, because the transforming power of God in our lives can be quite scary and demanding, even painful--calling us to change when we don’t want to move out of the comfort zone we have made for our self or giving up the sin we continue to find temporary pleasure in.
God’s holy love burns the drone of sin out of our lives. It is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance. If we loose sight of his holiness, we loose sight of his love. His love loves unto purity.
If God were to burn something out of your life that is holding you back, what would it be?