Once there were three men who were followers of the King. It was winter and a cold wind was blowing. The first man said, “I will build a fire in order to keep warm”. He searched within his house to find the materials he needed in order to make the warmest possible fire. He looked high and low and found lots of things that were flammable. He piled them high in the fireplace, excited because there were so many. “Oh, how cold we’ve been but how warm we will be! We will have warmth for our bodies. We will finally have warm food to eat. ” he exclaimed. As soon as all of the materials were gathered and piled to the top of the fireplace, the man and his family lit the fire. They watched expectantly as the fire caught hold and started burning. It became a wonderful fire – warm and bright. It was huge and it was powerful and there was great rejoicing in the family because of the fire. After about 5 minutes, the fire started to die down. It got weaker and weaker until it started to flicker out. Now the man’s family was uncertain. What had happened? Everything was going so well! Now they were left with nothing and getting colder.
The second man shivered in the cold and said, “We need to make a fire! Yes, that will help us to keep warm and to cook the food that we need.” So he and his family went and found all of the things they felt would make a good fire. They found bits of cloth and tinder. They found large logs and small twigs. All were piled into the fireplace and lit on fire. As his family gathered around the growing fire, the man said, “This is good. We have built a fire that will last us a long time!” The fire became a nice healthy fire. The family cooked their food on it and enjoyed a warm meal. After dinner, the man and his family went to bed, cozy and warm and satisfied by the warmth of their surroundings and their meal. In the morning, the little family woke up to a freezing cold house! Their limbs were stiff and sore from the cold. They were tired because of the cold. “What happened?” they asked themselves.
The third man decided to build a fire when he first felt the cold. His family needed to be warm. He told his family, “Scour the area in order to find the best materials. We are going to make a good fire.” Everyone worked to find the right kinds of things to make a fire. At once they laid some of the materials in the fireplace, and then they laid some beside the fireplace to add later. When everything was in place, the man took some old dead leaves and string, put it on the very top and lit the fire. The man and his family stood back to watch. As the fire started, it was small at first. The man’s son exclaimed, “It is such a small fire! It is in danger of going out!” The man immediately said, “Take heart, son, this fire may be just a flicker in places, but as it spreads, it will become stronger and warmer.” And that is exactly what happened. The fire grew and became strong and warm. The man and his family sat down and enjoyed the fire. They ate warm food because of it and slept in warm beds because of it. When they woke up the next day, the family was warm and comforted and the fire continued.
The first man had built his fire with kindling - the kind of material one uses to start a fire - and start a fire he did! Yet there was no foundation in that fire and it burned off quickly. There was no depth. There was no staying power. The result was that the man and his family were left more disillusioned after experiencing the fire than if there had been no fire to begin with.
The second man had built a perfect fire and it had produced a very good result – for a while. The man and his family had built a good foundation and had followed all of the steps to making the best fire they could but once the fire was going, they did not tend to it. It grew and it was sustained but only for a short time. The family enjoyed the fruits of the fire but not the lasting results and comfort that they desired.
The third man knew that building a fire took some planning and some determination. He had instructed his family to not only gather the materials needed that day but to gather extra and to keep some off to the side to add later. The young family continued to work at building the fire even though they were already enjoying the fruits of it. They maintained the intensity by prior planning and the willingness to work. They did not stop when they got what they were after.
The Kingdom of God is like these three men. Some people are like the first man. They are always looking for the next best thing. They go from church to church looking for excitement and fun. They love God but have no depth. So when the flame of excitement burns out, they are left with nothing to lean on. They are left cold and in worse shape than when they started. They are left wondering what happened to their joy and excitement.
The people who are like the second man are the ones who know what to do. They have been taught and have a good foundation but they don’t want to do the things they need to do in order to have the lasting results that come with a well-built fire. They get to a certain place and stop. They come into the kingdom believing there is an ending point, a place to be attained and then they can stop and enjoy the fruits of their labor. The kingdom of God never stops. It is eternal and the line always keeps going.
The third man understood how to build on what he was given. He planned and he implemented. He worked with others to complete the task. He enjoyed the fruits of his labor yet didn’t accept them as final. This man pressed on. He wanted more and he knew how to receive it. He accepted the fruits and continued to build. He knew and understood this verse: Do not put out the Spirit's fire. 1 Thessalonians 5:19
When the fire comes, what is it going to find? It will come and burn no matter what. It will burn what it finds in you. Will it find just empty junk, the stuff that burns away quickly and then is gone or will it find strong, ready kindling – logs of readiness - the logs that burn strong and long and won’t go out when the first puff of wind comes along. Now is the time to get rid of junk. As the fire becomes hotter, it burns more things and it burns greater things in us until finally only He remains.
The Truth:
Philippians 3:12
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.
1 Corinthians 3:10-14
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
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