Christian Living
Larry Lilly's Letter Wednesday July 20, 2011
Every now and then a zinger comes across my screen that I should have written down years ago. I recall reading the book, The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, but today's thought did not register. But then it would take a very large book to record things that did not register with me over the years.
A.W.'s word to the wise will certainly encourage those of us who are not world class luminaries, but do faithfully exercise the gifts given to us by Almighty God.
"If my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame."
Many men who labor in the calling in which I have zealously worked, though often not according to knowledge would do well to work with the "fire" given to them by Christ than to waste much of life pretending to have the measure of fire enjoyed or even faked by another. Regardless of size of the fire, the question must be, "Is this real?" Many things that appear to be fire are really worked up human emotion, involving different forms of deceptive techniques.
Christ assigned to all who claim His name the responsibility of witnessing, thus influencing the person witnessed to for Christ. As far as I know I have never influenced anyone who as a result went on the heights of Billy Graham or other luminaries. But thank God many have been touched by my little genuine flame and have been off drugs for 40 years, others have been influenced and stay in a less than ideal marriage and experienced the leadership of Christ and the Bible leading to a satisfying God honoring marriage. So my living is not in vain.
Over and over the scripture teaches the value of being faithful in the arena where the Lord has placed us, and thus the “fire” is used by Jesus for someone to light their candle and move along with Jesus.
Through the years I have read stacks of books on how to get a bigger fire. The problem is the gifts of God are exactly that, gifts that are freely given. But God has freely given some "fire" and we must get with using the fire given for God's glory.
I have literally watched as men refuse to do the little things God has equipped them to do via the intensity of the fire, all the while trying to find ways to force God for a bigger flame. Have at it, and get big bottle of anti-disappointment pills, because you will surely need them.
Many prayers for God's fire, His power, are requested in the vain hope of gaining more control over others. Fact is if we follow the biblical pattern and pray for the best gift, we with the gift receive power/control over self. This power is large flame. Notice Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:31,
But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way.
It is a good habit to read 1Corinthians 12 and 13 in order to get a handle on the power of sharing even a little fire with a spiritually cold and starving world and experience the power of a little fire burning in a heart full of life. When this explodes in your life, many will want to ask,
"May I use your candle to light mine?" "Got a light, Mister?"
Larry Lilly Copyright 2011 © use with Credit.
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