God's Roadmap

Now may the Lord Jesus Christ and our Father God, who loved us and in his wonderful grace gave us eternal comfort and a beautiful hope that cannot fail, encourage your hearts and inspire you with strength to always do and speak what is good and beautiful in his eyes (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 TPT).


Sunday, October 21, 2018

Our God is a Consuming Fire


by Barbara Latta

The heat of the backyard fire surrounded me like a cozy blanket. Gray smoke curled toward the sky and drifted into the pine trees. Chilled air was pushed aside as logs popped and crackled creating the scent of burning oak. Give me a marshmallow and a hot dog, please.

I watched the orange flames blaze with light and was reminded of the verse in Hebrews that says, For our God is a consuming fire (12:29 NKJV).

What does that mean?

The logs in front of me burned down to ash.

I thought about Jesus on the cross being burned in the fire of God’s wrath.

All the sin of the world, past, present and future was laid upon His body.
God sent the fire of judgment to burn up that sin.

God’s fire consumed sin. It turned to ash at the cross.
While we are still on this earth, we still commit sin, but the punishment for it has been done. The power of sin is ash.
Our forgiveness is complete because Jesus endured the fire.

God’s fire consumes us with power when we welcome the Holy Spirit into our lives.
After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent another kind of fire to the earth – the Holy Spirit.  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:11-12).

Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them (Acts 2:3).

God’s fire consumes the motives of all our works. Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire (1 Corinthians 3: 13-15).

The fire of judgment day is in the future. All those who did not accept the payment Jesus made when His body was consumed in the fire of God, will be burned in eternal fire. That will be a sad day.

The payment has been made, but many will not accept it.

Our God is a consuming fire. He burned our sin at the cross, He burns up our dead works to purify our motives and minds, and He burns within us with power. And His fire will judge those who reject Him.

Satan will feel that fire of judgment, too. Eternal damnation for the one who caused all the pain and destruction on earth since the Garden of Eden. He will be consumed with eternal misery. And I'm glad.

What kind of fire do you want in your life? God’s love can burn within your heart if you accept His sacrifice and join His family.

Join the conversation and share your thoughts.

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