Keep The Fire Burning

Tyrone and his father decided to go camping one weekend. They got up bright and early and packed their things. Tyrone came downstairs with his bags packed and his father looked at him in amazement. His father said, “Boy we’re only going for two days.” Tyrone had packed as if he was going to his grandparents for spring break, he even pack his XBOX 360, as if he had a place to plug that in. After Tyrone unpacked a few things, he and his father were off to the camp site.

When they arrived they found a nice open area near the lake. They set up their tent and then they went fishing for dinner. His father caught four good size catfish, but Tyrone was so busy trying to find a plug for his 360, that he didn’t catch a thing. Later that evening they started a fire and begin cooking the fish. After telling a few campfire stories and getting down on some catfish, Tyrone and his father were sleepy (you know how we do). They kept the firing burning because it was cold outside, and eventually they fell asleep.

In the middle of the night Tyrone jumped up and he was shivering. Dad it’s cold, “What son?”, Tyrone said, “It’s cold!” His father noticed that the fire was barely burning, so he told his son to get some wood. Tyrone came back with some huge logs and put them in the fire, but the logs were so big that he almost put the fire out. His father said, “Those are too big, get some small twigs and then we will fan the fire.” Tyrone came back with some very small twigs and when he put a few on the fire they began to catch fire and so they started putting air on the fire by fanning it, the sparks caught the wood on fire, and then the flames got bigger. They were then able to put some bigger logs on the fire and stay warm for the rest of the night.

Now I hope everyone is doing well in their science class, but if you’re having a little trouble let me help you. Why were Tyrone and his father able to keep the firing burning? Okay, a fire needs three things to burn, and if anyone one of these elements is missing, then a fire can’t burn. A fire needs oxygen, heat, and fuel to burn (Now please take my word for this, don’t experiment at home). Just as we need oxygen from the air to breath, a fire needs oxygen from the air to breath as well. This is why Tyrone and his father starting fanning the fire, putting air on it, they were giving it oxygen.

Next, a fire needs heat. Heat can come from sunlight, a spark, friction, or another fire. The fire that Tyrone and his father had wasn’t completely out, they still had some heat, but it wasn’t enough to get them warm. Finally, fire needs fuel. Now for us fuel is food, some of ya’ll think McDonalds is fuel, but if you saw the documentary I saw, you wouldn’t even see what McDonalds serves as food. But anyway fuel to a fire is something that can be burned like paper, wood, gas, grease, things like that. Tyrone had to get some twigs to fuel the fire because the logs were too big and they actually smothered the fire by taking its oxygen away. But the twigs were small enough and sparks began to catch and consume the twigs so that the flames could get bigger.

Any questions from the class, science class is dismissed; now let’s go to Bible class. Tyrone and his father were dealing with a physical fire, but we want to talk about a spiritual fire, the type of fire that burns within our hearts and soul. Tyrone and his father needed to keep the fire burning so that they could stay warm through the night, but Christians need to keep the fire burning so that our relationships with God can stay warm and not get cold, because a cold relationship with God is a broken fellowship with Him.

Young people I want you to understand that a relationship with God isn’t just available to everyone over 21, but you too can an eye opening relationship with God as well. If I would have known the things I know now, I would have had a more committed relationship with God when I was younger, but thank God for mercy and grace that kept me long enough to experience the goodness of God.

In our text, Paul has written this letter to Timothy who was a young man. Do ya’ll still write letters in school? Well, Paul addressed his letter to Timothy, but this letter was also meant to be shared with Christians everywhere. Now, Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter, and this wasn’t the first time Paul had been put in prison, but this time Paul wasn’t going to be released. Paul wasn’t in prison for doing wrong, he wasn’t a suburban wanna be gangster, all he had done was spread the Word of God, which is what the Bible tells us to do. We have laws in this country we’re supposed to follow, and there are laws and rules at school that you have to follow as well. And the Bible tells us to obey the laws of the land, but when these laws and rules go against the Bible and God’s will, then we’re not suppose to follow them.