This afternoon we had a great time with friends and family chilling out, catching up and eating a barbeque. At the very start, fire needs to be applied to the firelighters and charcoal in order to create the necessary heat source for the food to be cooked.
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| Lighting up |
The charcoal that was added to the fire gradually began to take hold and began to burn. After a while the charcoal itself became the fire. It reminded me of what I wrote a few blogs ago about the intake of food that eventually become an integral part of us. So what was added to the firelighters eventually became not just an extra part to the fire but the fire itself.
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| Not our barbeque but a fire that has been going for a while |
Everyone who is familiar with the workings of the kitchen will know that a colander or sieve is used to strain liquid out of food or to separate the solid part from the liquid part. We would never think of trying to carry liquid in a colander or try to fill it by pouring water into it – it would disappear straight through the holes.
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| Filling a colander with water is an impossible task |
But exactly the opposite happens when we put a colander into a sink or bowl full of liquid. Instead of draining the liquid from the inside of the colander, it lets the liquid into the colander. The only way for a colander to be full of liquid is for it to be immersed in the liquid itself.
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| Totally immersed, the colander retains the water |
We don’t need to be as intelligent as Einstein or have a degree in rocket science in order to understand the principles of how things react in the above two examples of fire and water. Following on from what I mentioned in my previous blog about things in the natural, physical world having a corresponding truth in the spiritual realm, what Kingdom truths does this teach me?
I think as humans we often get things the wrong way around. We decide on a project or a course of action and then go to God and ask Him to bless our efforts and our plans and to give us success (whatever we feel that success in a given situation looks like). We should be doing things the other way around by asking God what He wants to do in a given situation and ask Him what part He wants us to play, if any. We talk of inviting God into our lives, almost as though we are doing Him a favour by allowing Him to occupy a part of our busy lives. God is everywhere, so we should really be thinking in terms of living constantly in God’s presence and not about inviting Him into a part of ours. Like the colander in the bowl full of liquid, not seeking to pour the Holy Spirit into my life but rather to be totally immersed in the presence of God and like the fire I want to be so caught on fire for Him that I am not just a part of fuel added to the fire but totally consumed for Him and by Him and thus become the fire itself.
4 comments:
What you say is true. Actually, a truth related to two different stages, the first and simpler stage, "asking God what to do and then doing it, rather that doing it and then asking God to help us out". And the more profound one, to become one with God, which would even be more difficult than the first stage. I do not see myself qualifying for the simpler stage. Were I to be honest, I should say that everytime I asked God what to do before doing, I never heard an answer from Him, that I am aware of. And as for the more profound stage, the merging would have to wait until I am only spirit.
Thanks Tommy. As you say, it is difficult but I just think that we tend to tell God what we want Him to do instead of seeking to know His will.
I would also add Mavis that often we are just so busy that we rush into things. Some things need a quick answer but not everything we do, if it does then maybe we are doing too much.
I agree Joanna. We get so caught up in the being busy for Him that we fail to just spend time with Him and I think that it is often in the spending time in His presence that we learn more about His will and purpose for us.
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