“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God…” Romans 12:1
In the day this was written, sacrifice involved an altar and fire. It still does. Will we get on the altar? Will we remain in His consuming fire?
My family thought I was quite ignorant last week when I asked what would happen if I took the iron poker out of the fire and placed on a newspaper. My sixteen year old son sarcastically replied, “What do you think will happen, Dad? Of course, the newspaper will catch on fire.”
But it was not so simple. The fire had just started when I first tried my experiment. Nothing happened when I placed the iron on the paper. So I put the poker back in and let it remain about ten minutes. This time the newspaper was irritated a bit, but it still did not catch on fire. It was only after I stuck the poker in the hottest part of the fire and left it a long time that the newspaper ignited when touched by the iron.
In our enthusiasm, we may want to hop off the altar and set the world ablaze. But the Lord says, “Remain in Me and know that I am a consuming fire. I will burn away your impurities and teach you about Myself. My Spirit will burn within you, and you shall be salt and light in this dark world.” When two “unschooled, ordinary men” witnessed mightily about the risen Christ in Acts 4, people recognized a simple fact: “… and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.”
“Lord, let us take the time to be with Jesus.” In this special week of the year, we remember how the Savior came to live on earth. He now longs to live in the hearts of all men. May we be among those who welcome Him!
I thank God for each of you. Your prayers and encouragement are such gifts to me and my family. I pray God will bless you all with peace and joy this holiday season.
Love,
Dana