Mosaic
Four Metaphors for a Discipled Life
Fire
Heb 12:28-29
In just seconds, a spark or even the sun's heat alone sets off an inferno. The wildfire quickly spreads, consuming the thick, dried-out vegetation and almost everything else in its path. What was once a forest becomes a virtual powder keg of untapped fuel. In a seemingly instantaneous burst, the wildfire overtakes thousands of acres of surrounding land, threatening the homes and lives of many in the vicinity.
An average of 5 million acres burns every year in the United States, causing millions of dollars in damage. Once a fire begins, it can spread at a rate of up to 14.29 miles per hour (23 kph), consuming everything in its path. As a fire spreads over brush and trees, it may take on a life of its own -- finding ways to keep itself alive, even spawning smaller fires by throwing embers miles away.
Heb 12:28-29
28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, 29 for our "God is a consuming fire."
The only way to truly be successful in our walk with God is to be consumed by him, for “our God is a consuming fire.”
TO BE TRULY SUCCESSFUL IN OUR LIVES REQUIRES A CONSUMING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
That our relationship with God must be consuming fire since he is a consuming fire, stands in juxtaposed to three scared doctrines of the 21st C.
To be truly successfully we must feel the heat of God’s consuming fire on each of these areas.
T.S. Turn with me to Matt 6:33 and seek to understand the implications of a consuming relationship with God.
1. A CONSUMING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD CHALLENGES THE PRIORITY OF ECONOMIC GAIN.
Suze Orman, is the common person financial wizard for the 21st century. This is her philosophy on money and its importance in our lives.
When I was 13, my dad owned his own business—a tiny shack where he sold chicken, ribs, hamburgers, hot dogs, and fries. One day the oil that the chicken was fried in caught fire. In a few minutes the whole place exploded in flames. My dad bolted from the store before the flames could engulf him.
Then my mom and I arrived on the scene, and we all stood outside watching the fire burn away my dad's business. All of a sudden, my dad realized he had left his money in the metal cash register inside the building, and I watched in disbelief as he ran back into the inferno before anyone could stop him.
He tried to open the metal register, but the intense heat had already sealed the drawer shut. Knowing that every penny he had was locked in front of him about to go up into flames, he picked up the scalding metal box and carried it outside. When he threw the register on the ground, the skin on his arms and chest came with it. He had escaped the fire safely once, untouched. Then he voluntarily risked his life and was severely injured. The money was that important.
That was when I learned that money is obviously more important than life itself. From that point on, earning money—lots of money—not only became what drove me professionally, but also became my emotional priority.
Suze Orman sums it up for most Americans. The only thing worth sacrificing for, the greatest priority in life is money. We fall into the same trap.
Earn a better Living
Acquire greater wealth
These are the commandments written in stone before the idol of the God we call money. And for many the pursuit of this American dream will lead us away from a successful life with God.
Look what Jesus Said, 24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
51% of Christians and 54% of non-Christians believe that no matter how they feel about money, it is still the main symbol of success in life. (1997)
32% of Christians and 44% of non-Christians indicate that money is very important to them. (1997)
What about You. Is your relationship with God so consuming that it has impacted your priorities for Economic gain? Is more of Him more important than more money? Are you more apt to work overtime than to give him time? Do you have a better handle on your budget than you do on His word or prayer? Are you chasing the American dream or the consuming God?
2. A CONSUMING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD OVERRIDES THE URGENCY OF EVERYDAY NEEDS
We live in the tyranny of the urgent little needs.
Paul G. Stoltz
"IN AN AGE when we face an average of twenty-three adversities a day, most of us are ill-equipped to manage, let alone thrive, amid such unprecedented demands."
I read that I tried to figure out what could be the twenty-three adversities a day.
The only way that is true is if we have let the little things become gods in our life so things like this overwhelm us.
Getting up
Getting dressed
Getting the kids to school
Getting the house cleaned up
Eating breakfast.
Morning commute
Doctors appointment
Grocery shopping
Parking the car
Caring for the car
Repairing the car
Yard work
Washing the dishes
Paying the bills
Raising the kids
Dealing with the boss
Coping with relatives
Coping with our spouse
Dealing with a headache
Dealing with sickness
Dealing with sick family
Getting enough sleep.
Brushing our teeth
Look what Jesus said about these things.
25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28 "And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.
The impact of a consuming relationship with God is a peace and a trust that He will take care of the little things in our lives--the everyday Adversities, challenges that beset us.
Immediately after World War II the allied armies gathered up many hungry, homeless children and placed them in large camps. There the children were abundantly fed and cared for. However, at night they did not sleep well. They seemed restless and afraid.
Finally, a psychologist hit on a solution. After the children were put to bed, they each received a slice of bread to hold. If they wanted more to eat, more was provided, but this particular slice was not to be eaten—it was just to hold.
The slice of bread produced marvelous results. The child would go to sleep, subconsciously feeling it would have something to eat tomorrow. That assurance gave the child a calm and peaceful rest.
When we have seen God provide and in the past why is it so hard to believe he will keep providing? We can trust Him to deal with the everyday things.
What about you. What consumes you? Does the hassle of your everyday existence overwhelm you? Do you find yourself more enslaved to the tyranny of all the little things in your life? Or has your consuming relationship with God brought you a great peace about the little things?
3. A CONSUMING RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MODIFIES THE PURSUIT OF TREASURED DREAMS.
How does one achieve the American Dream? Savvy marketers have convinced their audiences that a new wave of television game shows, lottery luck, and lucrative lawsuits are the way to wealth.
Who wants to be a millionaire?
State lotteries
Compensation lawsuits
19-year-old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently didn't notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal his neighbor's hubcaps.
Good and bad
Before I die
Most of us have at one time or another composed a list of the things I have to do before I die. We live in a society that looks and hopes for the next great windfall.
In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, celebrity Brad Pitt reflected on his lead role in the movie Fight Club, which is about a man who has the American dream and yet remains unsatisfied:
Pitt: Man, I know all these things are supposed to seem important to us—the car, the condo, our version of success—but if that's the case, why is the general feeling out there reflecting more impotence and isolation and desperation and loneliness? If you ask me, I say toss all this—we gotta find something else. Because all I know is that at this point in time, we are heading for a dead end, a numbing of the soul, a complete atrophy of the spiritual being. And I don't want that.
Look at Jesus words the issue of our treasure.
19 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
What about you? What do you Burn for?
