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A Burning Fire Jeremiah said God’s Word was as a burning fire within in him (Jer. 20:9). |
A Burning Fire
Jeremiah said the word of God was as a “burning fire” in his bones (Jer. 20:9); recent wildfires can teach us some important spiritual lessons concerning this description of God’s Word:
- Fire Is Powerful-drastically alters what it contacts
- God’s Word does so in a good way as it has the power to save (Rom. 1:16; 1 Pet. 1:22-23; 2 Tim. 3:15; Acts 20:32; 1 Cor. 15:1-4); convict (Heb. 4:12; Titus 1:9; Eph. 6:17); and unite (Eph. 3:6-7).
- Fire Spreads Rapidly—hard to contain
- Jeremiah found the same was true with God’s Word.
- The first century example was one of spreading the word of God, not containing it (Acts 5:19-20; Matt. 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 8:4; 2 Tim. 4:2; Titus 2:1, 11-15).
- Fire Is Intense-consumes everything around it
- This attitude is seen in the apostle Paul (Phil. 3:13-14); a passion that should be in us all (Phil. 3:17; Col. 3:2).
- Do we have any intensity (Rev. 3:15-16, 19)?
- Has it changed us (Col. 3:1-3; Rom. 12:1-2)?
- Fire Destroys…but creates room for new growth
- Jeremiah was told to root out the bad that you can build up the good (Jer. 1:9-10).
- Still today the gospel will both tear down and build up (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 4:2).
- Specifically there are things that must be removed (Rom. 6:4a, 6; Col. 3:3, 5-9) and there are things that must be added (Rom. 6:4-5; Col. 3:10-17; Gal. 2:20).
