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A Morning View By the Wood Stove

Do you ever feel like chucking life and saying it is not worth it? Perhaps you want to find a secluded cabin in the mountains? Or maybe your place is where the waves of the ocean roll to the sandy beach. A place you can just be with no cares in the world. This works for awhile as places to escape and not be caught in the blah, blah, blah of the world. When you are in the fire those places look so good! The problem is that the fires of life will join you on your retreat. 

So what do you do in the fire? Do you just give up and die? Do you give in and conform? Do you accept it as it being just the way it is going to be, so it is what it is? Or, do you live your life committed to Jesus Christ? Lip service for God will get you burned lips, commitment and surrender to God make you fire proof. 

I am reminded of a story I heard over and over as a child. It was a story about Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were committed and surrendered to God no matter what they faced. They were bold in not bowing down to any other God or King and turning on the Lord God Most High. They were bound and thrown into the hottest fire possible and no harm came to them. While the three were thrown in four were in the fire together. God was with them. 

The message today is twofold. When you are doing your part in committing and trusting God, God is doing God's part protecting you in the fire. Emmanuel, God with us. 

The second part of this message follows the question "what happens next?" It is pretty cool when God shows up for us and saves us in the fire, but God does not stop after the rescue. God saves us, God redeems us and God does not let the stink of the fire of the past linger around us. There is no campfire sell. We are cleaned and redeemed. 

The scripture illustrates this for us.

“Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!”  - Daniel 3:26-27 NLT

Sermons and morning views make this all so simple. God into the fire, God is with us, we will be safe and move on. It is not easy, There is great pain. You will wonder and suffer and still want to escape to the mountain or ocean. You will question and struggle, You may even feel hopeless. BUT today I encourage you to be true to the Most High God who loves you and redeems you. 

You will end up smelling like a child of God. 

Peace,
PB

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