Recently my family and I were traveling north on 251 to visit a local retail store. While we drove we noticed a huge plume of smoke in the air. As it turns out, we were not the only people in town who had gathered to witness the blaze at Crafter’s Village. Upon pulling into a nearby parking lot I pointed out that the flame coming from the peak of the roof was dazzling white; it was plainly incredibly hot. After Sebastian and Ephram watched the firemen for a few moments and they had offered a prayer for their friends Mr. Dean & Mr. Dale, who are both local firemen, we went into the nearby store, which was our original destination. After only 30 minutes in the store, the roof had collapsed and the building was little more than a pile of rubble; barely recognizable.
Fire is a mixed tool of mankind. On the one hand it can purify beautiful things like silver and gold. It can heat our homes and light an outdoor gathering with warmth. On the other hand it destroys that which it meets which flammable.
The temperature of flames with carbon particles emitting light can be assessed by their color. Red is just visible at (977 °F); Dull red: (1290 °F); Cherry red, dull: (1470 °F); Cherry full: (1650 °F); Cherry clear: (1830 °F); Deep Orange: (2010 °F); Clear: (2190 °F); Dazzling white fire can burn as hot as: (2730 °F).
God’s love is like a white hot dazzling fire which purifies finer things like gold and silver and burns away impurities. God’s love burns for His creation and it is so intense that anything which is at war with this love becomes mere vapor and smoke; while the purity of likewise acceptance of this love is purified.
God’s love burns so brightly that anything which comes into contact with it which is at war with it – sin, selfish ambition, self exultation, self righteousness; all of the diseases which plague humanity – is consumed.
God is unified. God is complete in and of Himself. He is self existent. His love is inexorably connected to His wrath. His love burns so brightly that His wrath is a part of His love, because His love cannot abide anything which is at war with His holiness and His love consumes all of those things which run counter His love!
God is love and it is for this reason that He cannot abide sin. God is love and it is for this very reason that He is at war with the injustice of this life.
Dear Saints of God, reflected in the life and work of Jesus Christ is the plain reality that God is at war with the brokenness of this world. God is not passively resigned to its existence, biding his celestial time until He ultimate sends Jesus Christ to rectify the situation!
The battle for justice and God’s love is raging all around us if we will but get in the fight! We have already been enlisted, by faith, into the fight. We have been born into a war torn area, spiritual warfare rages all around our lives, in our families, in our communities, in our nation, and our world.