Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker

Hope for a Hot Lump

 

When I awaken in the winter mornings, the first thing I do is make my way to the living room to see what’s happening inside the firebox. After eight sleepy hours I don’t usually see any flames, however, I can see an orange glow and that’s a good sign. I then open the fireplace door, grab the custom-designed poker and stir the embers. I know it won’t be hard to get a blazing fire going again. This morning chore is vital during the cold-weather season. If I don’t keep stoking the fire, it will eventually go out, the embers will turn to ashes, and the house will get cold (and so will I).

 

Every time I stir the embers, I think of the letter Apostle Paul wrote to his young protégé  Timothy: “That is why I would remind you to stir up (rekindle the embers of, fan the flame of, and keep burning) the [gracious] gift of God, [the inner fire] that is in you by means of the laying on of my hands [with those of the elders at your ordination] (2 Timothy 1:6 AMP). Even though Paul is imprisoned, lonely, and sensing that his opportunities for preaching are about to be terminated, he wants to encourage and strengthen Timothy.

 

This loving and important letter to Timothy is for all believers that need to be reminded to fan the flame of discipleship to keep it burning hot. Should we wake up one morning and realize all we have left inside are a few embers, don’t throw in the towel and give up! Spring into action and stir yourself up in the Lord. Embers form when a fire has only partially burnt the wood and is still viable. If there are embers, then there’s a sure hope for a renewed fire which is necessary for living a holy and loving life.

 

There is a daily need in the hearts of all believers to keep the fire of commitment and loyalty to Christ blazing hot. Fire changes things. You can have hard kernels of popcorn and starve to death. But when you add fire to those seemingly worthless kernels, you end up with a tasty snack. We need to guard against complacency in our love, obedience, and worship to God. Each believer is responsible for fanning his/her own spiritual flame. No one else can do it for us. It’s our baby so we need to rock it!

 

Embers are small glowing hot lumps of wood in a dying fire. The key is the fact that the fire is not completely out. Being in the “process of dying” is not the same as dead. When we truly desire to live like Jesus, we’re assured that a rip-roaring fire can be revived from the embers. How can we tell if we’re on fire or not? We can use Jesus’ own words to evaluate our spiritual status: “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these” (Mark 12:30 NKJV). In other words, poke yourself and see if love comes out.

 

God’s Word is like the believer’s custom-designed poker. Everyday we need to read and study God’s love letters and allow the Holy Spirit to poke around in our heart to see if we have a blazing fire or a hot lump. God wants us to be red-hot Christ followers, but He loves to work with smoldering hot lumps in order to make them burning hot and productive again.

The Key: I’d rather be a hot lump than a cold bump on a log.