On
Fire for God.
by Tom Caballes
"I came to cast fire on the
earth, and
would that it
were already
kindled!"
-
Luke 12:49 ESV
Have you ever thought
of what legacy you
might leave behind
once you are gone?
What impact will you
have made on your
family, community, and
society? Do you want
to create a huge wave
in the ‘sea’ of life
or just a minute
ripple that no one
will ever notice? Is
your life one huge
blast for everyone to
witness or just a
small sputter of light
no one will see?
One thing I’ve learned
in life is that radical
people – either for
good or bad - makes
a lasting effect on
the world they leave
behind. Billy
Graham, Francis of
Assisi, Theresa of
Calcutta, and Therese
of Lisieux – they made
a lasting impact, even
up to now. How about
you – can you put your
name beside them, as
one who was on fire
for God while they
were alive? Can you
dare try, in your own
little way, to set
your life on fire for
God? Jesus came to set
your life on fire for
Him!
So
How Do You
Grow in
Becoming on
Fire for God?
- Being on
fire for God
starts with your
conversion.
Before you can
change the
world, you need
to change
yourself first.
Make sure God is
your one true
passion, joy,
and treasure.
Surrender your
inmost longings
and plans to
Him. Offer your
weaknesses,
sins, and flaws
to God. Get rid
of habits of sin
in your life.
- Appreciate
just how blessed
you are. You
have a roof over
your head,
clothes to wear,
and food to eat.
One way you can
think about the
purpose of
living is to
show gratitude
to God for all
His blessings to
you.
- Let love
for God and
others be the
goal and basis
for your living.
Let love be your
motive in all
your
relationships
and let love be
your
afterthought to
all dealings in
life. Being
loving is being
on fire for God.
- Act,
think, and live
like Jesus. In
different
situations in
life especially
the hard ones,
think of how
would Jesus
behave and
respond. We are
called to follow
and imitate
Jesus, even if
it is against
our old nature.
- Lukewarmness
is not
acceptable in
God’s eyes! You
need to decide
to either be hot
or cold for God.
Lukewarm people
never made any
lasting impact
on their lives
and others. See
Revelations
3:15-16.
- A
Christian on
fire would also
attempt to share
Jesus with
others by his
witness and
being vocal
about his faith.
You may be the
only living
gospel that
others will
‘read’ and meet
in their
lifetime. So
live your life
well, be a salt
of the earth and
the light of the
world, in all
humility,
meekness,
patience, and
love.
- Live an
ordinary life in
an extraordinary
way. Saints in
the past grew in
holiness by
conquering their
selfishness,
learning to
forbear in love,
and being
patient with the
people. They had
serious issues
that challenged
their holiness –
and by
overcoming those
‘small’ battles,
they obtained
eternal life.
- Live a
radical life for
God. What the
world
desperately
needs now are
people who are
on fire for God.
Aim to be either
a missionary, a
saint or a
martyr – or if
you want to be
truly ambitious,
aim to be all!
Aim to be a
spark that can
start a blazing
fire for God to
all the people
you meet. You
have only one
short life to
live – use it
for the glory of
God!
Other
Scripture
passages:
- And he answered,
"You shall love
the Lord your
God with all
your heart and
with all your
soul and with
all your
strength and
with all your
mind, and your
neighbor as
yourself."
[Luke 10:27 ESV]
- And let us
not grow weary
of doing good,
for in due
season we will
reap, if we do
not give up.
[Galatians 6:9
ESV]
- I know your
works: you are
neither cold nor
hot. Would that
you were either
cold or hot! So,
because you are
lukewarm, and
neither hot nor
cold, I will
spit you out of
my mouth.
[Revelation
3:15-16 ESV]
- Other
references: 1
Timothy 4:10; 2
Timothy 1:7; and
Romans 12:11.
For personal reflection or
group sharing
If you
were to look at
your life from
the outside, do
you see any
visible signs of
your life being
on fire for God?
Or will you see
more signs of
lukewarmness in
your life rather
than being on
fire? What do
you need to do
change so that
you can be more
on fire for God?
 |
Tom
Caballes is
the National
Senior
Administrator
and a National
Coordinator of
the Lamb
of God, a
community of
the Sword of
the Spirit
with 7
branches
located
throughout New
Zealand. Tom
also leads Kairos
New Zealand,
an outreach
program for
high school,
university,
and
post-university
aged
people.
Tom
and his wife
Mhel and their
two daughters
live in
Wellington,
New Zealand.
|
[images
above:
Dietrich
Bonhoeffer,
Edith Stein,
Francis of
Assisi, a
couple of
saints in the
making]
|
