Coax the Flame

For when the spark does not fade...

There are three things needed for a fire to burn.  A heat source, fuel, and oxygen.  

Building a fire is sometimes an exercise in patience.  Once you have the spark on the tinder, it takes just a breath to bring it to life or to extinguish it.  That is a metaphor for life right there.       

Sharing the gospel is kinda like building a fire.  There must be a source of heat from somewhere.  That can be a spark from hitting two rocks together, striking a match, the sun and a magnifying glass, or another fire.  With the gospel, that source of spark is you.  It is me.  It comes from inside you.  It comes from the Holy Spirit that cries out to be shared and it will not be denied.  Jesus said in Luke 19:40, "I tell you", Jesus said, "if they keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out".  

Next, you have to have the fuel.  We have to want to be used as a light for this world.  There are multiple ways to do this.  You can share with one person at a time.  Maybe you can spread the Word by throwing out Facebook posts.  That is great.  Someone is going to read them.  Perhaps you have a captive audience at work where you get to share the gospel at lunch.  I have the ones that read this.  No matter who your audience is, if we do not open our mouths the Word will not be spread and someone will miss out on blessings.    

Last of the three is oxygen.  This allows the fire to keep going.  If there is no air, the fire goes out.  This is when you share the gospel with people and they listen.  They hear you and they want to know more.  That is an amazing feeling.  It makes you want to go and reach more people.  You are literally on fire for Jesus.  But the opposite happens also.  People do not want to hear what you are saying and sometimes outright reject the message.  That can take the air out of you very fast.  

So what are some of the struggles when sharing the gospel with others?  It may be that the fuel is damp and does not catch right away.  In those times gentle patience is required when no sign of catching is visible, so as to not put out the spark.  

Sometimes it is like a dry leaf that ignites very quickly, but then dies out just as fast.

What is needed though is where our fire catches quickly but burns slowly.  Which is easy to say, hard to find, and harder to do.  And more often than not we meet people who have willful ignorance of Christ and no desire to change their lives.  We can also meet people who accept Christ, change their lives and join everything the church has to offer.  Then like a dry leaf they burn out just as quickly and leave.  

Once in a great while though, there will be a few who start off slow, burn hot and long, and ignite others along the way.  These are the ones that this world needs.  Which type are you?
I want to be the one that starts slow and ignites others.  But I have difficulties as well.    

My difficulties with talking to people is literally talking to people.  I have difficulty with going deeper than surface level and opening up to have meaningful conversations.  I love the Lord and I want to be able to have the ability to create lasting relationships with the ones that I share Him with.  Even in these posts, I can tell when I re-read them that I could go so much deeper than what is there.  Talking about personal experiences, struggles and how God has helped me/us overcome them will help not only me, but also someone who might be going through some of the same things.

That being said, I am going to try and get out of my comfort zone.  I want to share deeper messages with you and communicate what God has placed on my heart better.  Let's get to work.  

Strike a spark
Coax the flame

Hard to believe that building a fire can help further God's Kingdom.