Keep the Fire Burning
Pentecost Sunday was a powerful moment for us in the presence of God. From the youngest to the oldest, we invited the Holy Spirit to fill us afresh, and many people experienced a fresh touch from Him.
When we experience the presence of God in this way in the gathered space, it can leave us feeling on a spiritual high for a few days. That feeling will eventually pass, and we so easily forget what God was doing in that moment. So how do we keep hold of it?
Paul, while in prison in Rome and awaiting his execution, wrote to his son in the faith Timothy with this encouragement:
I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:5-7
Paul describes a moment in Timothy’s life where he received a spiritual gift from God as Paul laid hands on him. I imagine it would have been a moment fairly similar to what we experienced together yesterday; a powerful time in the presence of God, where emotions were stirred and faith was built. Knowing that those emotional responses don’t last forever, Paul charges Timothy to “fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you.”
Over the weekend I, like many others enjoying the hot weather, had a barbecue. I built up my charcoal and placed some firelighters strategically around them. I lit the firelighters and watched the flame burn, but the flame didn’t last long. To build it up again so that the coals would reach the proper temperature for cooking, I had to blow on them. I did this repeatedly until the barbecue was ready to receive my burgers. It took a lot of breath! Several times I came away from the fire feeling light-headed, and my beard was strongly smelling of smoke for the rest of the day.
What you experienced in meeting with the Holy Spirit began as a strong flame – a fresh fire – but it needs to be stoked. It needs to be fanned into flame again and again, or it will die down and the things of life will smother it.
So let’s be diligent in continuing to seek the face of God. Keep engaging with the prayer practices we’ve been learning together. Keep feeding your soul with the Living Word of God. Worship the Lord as you go about your day, and be thankful for His goodness to you each moment. Keep an open invitation to the Holy Spirit in your daily life, and ask Him to show you how He wants you to live. Above all, remain confident that the Lord God deeply desires for you to live each moment in His presence. Jesus said,
I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.
Revelation 3:20
