Tag Archives: Life Management

Consuming Fire – Day 11 – Fires of Calling

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Day Eleven – Fires of Calling
Moses was shepherding the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of God appeared to him in flames of fire blazing out of the middle of a bush. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn’t burn up. Exodus 3:1-2

Moses was a committed shepherd, and had been for decades under the wife’s dad’s family business. There was likely a lot of time to think in the backcountry while watching the sheep graze. For Moses, those thoughts may have included remembering how he was raised: in the palace, surrounded by the riches of Pharaoh’s own family, bound for royalty. Instead, he was in the wilderness, smelling like sheep, and bound for serving his father-in-law. He was learning the humble lessons of the desert.
I suspect that an occasional brush fire in the wilderness was normal, but this one was different.  The fire blazed bright, the bush was totally inundated with fire,  yet not really consumed, and God got his attention. And Moses’ agenda was replaced by God’s agenda.
For some followers of God, it takes a lot to get our attention. Moses had his “burning bush,” Paul had his “Damascus Road.” We each most likely experience a “turning point” moment when God speaks and redirects us. It may not be as dramatic as Paul’s or Moses’, but it scares and excites us at the same time, nevertheless.
The Bible tells us that we are to “live by faith, and not by sight.” What does this mean in relation to what Moses experienced?  He certainly saw God’s presence in the bush. He heard a definite voice calling him. All in a moment. Then he lived by faith that God would do what He said He would. (Granted: he did see some awesome evidence of God’s making good on His promise and calling!)

Where has God met you recently and clearly? What has God said to you in your Quiet Time or through Scripture? Who has He put, in an undeniable way, on your mind to serve or share with? In the context of our Life’s Calling, He often calls us to specific tasks to meet specific needs or to make specific issues your own. Write some notes on what God has on His agenda for you to do. Now, it is up to you to “live by faith” based on what God has said.
Note: Tomorrow, Day Twelve is a “Fast Day.” If you are already practicing regular fasting, keep it up as it keeps you close in to Him. If this is new to you, choose to skip breakfast, lunch, and/or dinner tomorrow. Give Him the extra time with extra Bible reading, study, prayer, and worship. Make notes on your day in your journal.

All For Him – Rick

Consuming Fire – Day 13 – Fire Altars, & Fire Alters

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Day Thirteen – Fire Altars & Fire Alters
Don’t lie to one another. You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes you’ve stripped off and put in the fire. Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe. Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it. All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. Colossians 3:9-11

Today, read Colossians 3:9-11 in context with the rest of the chapter. Everyday brings a fresh set of choices. God has given His followers a lifestyle that has both clear boundaries and plenty of room to grow and roam and experience life. The “don’t’s” of our faith-life are all there to make life and relationships work right.  The “do’s” are there to replace man-made restrictions to freedom in Christ. The dividing labels listed in our verses today keep people apart, demean and belittle others, and tell them they are excluded and will never measure up.

In fact, the central point of the Gospel is that none of us measure up when we use God’s standard. We all are people of grace, needing His and each other’s forgiveness and space to grow.
God’s plan redefines how we measure one another. It is no longer the label, the heritage, the “bloodline” of our families, our education, our jobs, or the name of our church.  It is the simple truth that we are forgiven by the God who provided the Savior and Forgiver.  That causes us to give plenty of room for those who aren’t quite like us, or worship like us, or dress like us… or, well, you get the picture.
Read Colossians 3:1-17 again. But this time, read it in first person. Use your name; use, I and me; and use the word “choose” when the verse indicates a choice to be made. Everyday brings a fresh set of choices.

All For Him – Rick

Consuming Fire – Day 15 – Close to the Fire

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Day Fifteen – Close to the Fire
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is “a consuming fire.” Hebrews 12:28

The same God who came near in the Old Testament Place of Holiness is near you today.  We don’t always feel Him; we don’t always blaze for Him. But His promise is true and secure.  He is not “an indifferent bystander.”
God has an end in sight for each of us – to be made holy, complete, and “like Him” in all ways. We are “in process” and that process is at times a cleansing process, at other times a connecting process, and at still other times a consuming process.
He says that He will complete that process, that work He has begun in you and me. And the awesome truth is this: He sees us as a finished product.  He sees the beginning and before, and He sees the ending and beyond. He looks on us with the sight of omniscience.
We see with faith. But we can trust that He is not finished with each of us. He will complete it.  That gives us hope for ourselves, and grace toward each other. Our Fifteen Day Fire Proof Devotional experiment comes to a close with this entry. As you conclude this devotion series, write down what you believe He is burning in your heart. What has He been speaking to you about doing, changing, adopting, re-imagining, or laying at His feet as a sacrifice. Then, put in your calendar system (whatever you use to manage your days) a reminder to look back at this devotion in three, six, or twelve months. You will be surprised at the work God is doing in you!

All For Him – Rick

Connecting Fire – Day Six

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Day Six – Fire Connection


They moved on from Succoth and then camped at Etham at the edge of the wilderness. God went ahead of them in a Pillar of Cloud during the day to guide them on the way, and at night in a Pillar of Fire to give them light; thus they could travel both day and night. The Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night never left the people. Exodus 13:20-22

When God led his chosen people away from the Egyptian slaveholders, He protected them by sending a fiery column. This pillar of fire stood between His people and their enemies. As they traveled further toward their destiny in the Promised Land, God continued to send the pillar of fire.

Instead of protecting them from an imminent enemy as it did from the Egyptian army, however, the fire provided three things: 1) it guided them as they traveled through the dark of night, 2) it gave them light to live by, and 3) it reminded the people that He was with them.
God sends His fire to cleanse and purify, and in these verses He sends His fire to connect Himself with His people. The New Testament tells us that the Holy Spirit connects us to God’s family. For us today, the fire of the Holy Spirit serves to give wisdom, direction, and light to live by. When we are surrounded by darkness, or can’t find our way out of an unclear situation, the fire of His presence shows us the way out. And the kindled flame of God’s Spirit within is the Presence that reminds us “he will never leave us or forsake us.” If it is dark in some places where you are, ask God to send the fire of wisdom and direction.

Practice worship today by singing aloud to Him, even if it seems you are in a dark place. A common refrain as a result of God’s deliverance in the Old Testament was: “For the Lord is good, and His mercy endures forever.” Worship Him, and He will meet you.

All For Him – Rick

Cleansing Fire (Day 5) – Plows, Stones & Sowing

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Day Five – Plows, Stones and Sowing
Listen to me now.
Give me your closest attention.
Do farmers plow and plow and do nothing but plow?
Or harrow and harrow and do nothing but harrow?
After they’ve prepared the ground, don’t they plant?
Don’t they scatter dill and spread cumin,
Plant wheat and barley in the fields
and raspberries along the borders?
They know exactly what to do and when to do it.
Their God is their teacher. Isaiah 28:23-26

Let’s change the metaphor this time, from fire to farming. Have you watched the local farmers working their fields in the spring? Some are plowing land that was cultivated as recently as last year. Some are plowing fields that have lain fallow for a long time. Others are claiming new land for fields and turning soil that hasn’t been farmed before. There is one element that is consistent in all three of these kinds of fields: rocks, rocks, and more rocks. The fallow and unfarmed fields have more rocks; but the recently tended fields give up their share of stones, too. It amazes me that rocks seem to rise up from beneath the topsoil to cause problems, even in a field that has been plowed recently. But they have to be discovered and removed if the field is to produce what it ought to and holds potential to produce.
Jesus compares our lives to soil in a parable, and one of the hindrances to receiving the seed (the truth of God) from the farmer (the Father) is the rock beneath the soil. You and I will go through seasons of plowing, planting, producing – and again plowing, planting, producing. The plowing may hurt, and rocks that have been under the surface may come up – but God has a plan for removing those rocks, those hindrances. It’s called repentance & forgiveness. The steps are simple: admit, submit, and know. Admit the rock, or the sin, is there and you can’t move it yourself. Submit to His touch and forgiveness as He removes it. Know that, when you ASK for forgiveness, He always forgives. He promises. Don’t forget to journal what He is saying to you.

All For Him – Rick