Have you ever noticed that a candle doesn’t burn long if the heat of the lighted wick does not begin to melt it? The wick ignites the flame, but it will quickly snuff if the wax around the wick doesn’t start to liquefy. The closer the wax is to the flame’s heat, the quicker it melts.
As kids, my sister and I used to love to swipe our pinkie fingers through the liquid wax and watch it almost instantly turn opaque again on our fingers. Wax, when taken from the flame, solidifies again in an instant.
So, where am I going with this? John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
I have often heard about solidifying my faith, but I suggest we keep our faith liquid. We need to remain close to the fire of the Holy Spirit and the Light of Christ. We need to melt into a clearness that is pure and fluid.
Alone, we become opaque. We hide our true selves from others and mold to our surroundings. But as the Light of Christ pours into our hearts and souls, we melt in His loving presence in order to become molded by Him. We are free to be transparent. After all He is God. He sees everything anyway and still loves us enough to give His life so we can be in communion with Him once again. Through His light, people can clearly see our witness.
Now, occasionally a bit of soot may drop into the hot liquid wax from the wick. But, in it’s melted state, it is easy to see the soot particles and then scoop them out. Much easier than if there was no flame and the soot became embedded into the solid, cloudy wax. We could dig down deep into the wax and find the soot ourselves, but how much better to let the flame melt the wax so it is easier to see and remove.
Any sootiness we have can be eradicated as well as long as the flame of Christ burns in us. He fuels our faith, right? Our sins may be revealed in His fire, but He makes it easier to remove them. Truth be told, we will be less scarred and gouged in the process than if we try ourselves.
No matter what is happening right now in your life, melt into God’s love. Let His fire purify and liquefy you. You will most likely find purpose in your struggles, even if it only used to draw people near to the flame as they marvel at your ability to smile through it all. Or perhaps, a bit of soot will be revealed and removed so you can more clearly reflect His love.
I have to turn my house plants ever so often or they will grow crookedly. They will repeatedly bend towards the source of light coming into my apartment from the window. Pretty soon, if I don’t rotate them, one half of the plants will be bare. Those leaves on the dark side will shrivel and die. The side aimed toward the light will flourish and grow. However, it will be at a skewed angle, and some of the leaves may be crowded out. It won’t look very healthy because the whole plant hasn’t been exposed the same amount to light.
Four years ago when I felt called to start this blog, I told the Lord that He’d have to show me obvious evidences of Him in my day so I could relay it to others. He has been faithful to do that, and this day was no different. Those birds taught me a deep truth.
Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5.
Let us pray away the barriers. Join many other Christians who are stopping each day at 8:00 p.m. CDT to pray for one minute for our people, our nation and for peace. I have set the alarm on my cell phone daily to remind me to stop, drop and pray.
Here in Texas, summer heat can be brutal by 11:00 a.m., so the earlier you can throw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and lace up your walking shoes the better. I have chosen to rise with the sun. I have my half hour of devotional and reflection time, down 16 ounces of water, then open my apartment door and greet the day. Here are a few of the benefits I have discovered during my early A.M. trek so far:
Where Did You Find God Today? 