by David Scott Robertson
No, not that kind of fired! I made up the title of this thought to make readers think I was going to talk about how to lose their job. No, I think we would all do well to keep our jobs and pay our bills.
The kind of "fired" I'm talking about that I think you and I need desperately to know is how do we get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for our Lord"?
How do you get fired when the "wet blanket" of life's problems, offenses, disillusionment of the church, and/or confusing situations in the world you live in have tried to snuff out your flame?
Well, let's take a quick look at the basics of how to build a fire. First, you need some raw materials to get started. Some dry kindling like broken twigs or sticks, a crumpled up piece of newspaper, or something similar that will burn. Then, or course, you need a match or lighter to provide the heat to jump start combustion, right?
Well, getting on fire for God is not much different. Maybe your spiritual life has been dry lately. It's been quite a while since you've heard God's voice. You haven't had a dream or vision or revelation that related to the things of God in a long time. Your Bible study has become boring but you'd never describe it that way. You go to church but in reality you are going through the motions as you enter yet another work week without much joy in your heart and pep in your step.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the broken twigs or sticks. At one time you were alive in Christ, green and lush, closely attached to the Vine Christ Jesus Himself (John 15:5), and bearing much fruit. Nowadays, though, you've discovered that somewhere along the line you just "snapped" and you've been separated from that close intimacy with your First Love.
Maybe your spiritual life is like the crumpled up newspaper. At one time you had something to say. Nobody ever had to wonder what the headlines of your life were. Everybody could read loud and clear that "[your name here] Surrenders Life to Jesus Christ." Witnessing was easy. Sharing the good news was thrilling, but now somehow the thrill is gone.
If you feel your spiritual condition corresponds to any of the dry imagery that I'm using here, may I suggest that conditions are perfect for you to be set aflame?
I remember visiting my grandparents in rural Illinois on summer vacations where the forest service used to post signs at the local preserve that conditions were "high" for a forest fire because of the extended dryness. Campers were encouraged to take extra care not to let their fires get out of control. You see, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. One match can literally consume thousands of acres of prime habitat.
As you read this, you may admit: "OK, so I'm dry and broken and wadded up like an old newspaper, how then do I come in contact with the spark? How do I connect with the flame? How do I get fired?" I think the answer might be found buried in the songbook of the Old Testament:
"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:12).
I think God has made the answer more simple than complex. I think the answer is found in the first three words of this verse: "Kiss the Son." To make the point more effectively, say it rather than read it. Close your eyes and say "kiss the Son" a few times out loud.
I know it's a play on words, but in our case, if we say "kiss the sun" then our metaphor of fire makes perfect sense. We may not be scientists but this one thing we know - anything that touches the sun burns up! As a matter of fact, there's a reason why God put the sun 92,900,000 miles (in January) away from earth. A few thousand miles closer and all life would be annihilated, a few thousand miles further away and Earth would freeze solid.
Your distance from the sun, or more appropriately the Son of God, Jesus Christ, makes all the difference in the world! How close do you have to be to a person to kiss them? Pretty close, I'd say. What kind of relationship do you have to have with a person before you kiss them? Again, a pretty close one (kiss the wrong person and you could get beat up!). There are only four women I generally kiss in my life - my wife, my daughter, my mom, and my grandma. That's because I am closely related to all of these women.
In the same way, if you want to get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for your Lord," then you need to make the first move to kiss the Son.
What leads up to a kiss in the natural? Warm words, a tender gaze, a loving embrace. In spiritual terms those translate to me as worship.
As you and I take the initiative to worship God, however shy and awkward we may feel, God will respond and meet us more than halfway. He will embrace us and our fears will begin to melt away. He's just waiting for us to make the first move…
DSR
4/11/05