Fired Up For the Lord

Written By Mei Hsien, Singapore

To start a fire for an outdoor barbecue, I was instructed to arrange the charcoal pieces close together, so that when the briquette—a compressed block of combustible material like sawdust and woodchip—was lit, the flames would spread from one piece to another quickly. True enough, shortly after following those steps, I had a mass of reddish-grey charcoal glowing, all ready to be used for the barbecue.

I could immediately see a parallel between this and our Christian faith. Just like how an ignited piece of charcoal passes the heat and the flames to pieces next to it, we as Christians should be sharing the good news we have freely received to others. Through our fervency and love for our Lord, we can influence and encourage those around us. A good example would be the first missionaries in the Bible who were given power by the Holy Spirit and who dedicated their lives to the work of the gospel in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). I am also encouraged by my friends who shared the good news with me when I was in my youth—both in word as well as through their conduct.

And just like burning charcoal, which will eventually stop glowing and cool down, our lives will be exhausted one day. So let us all be like heated and glowing charcoals, to be living testimonies for Christ while we still have breath.

In His grace, may we keep striving to pass on the beacon of truth to those around us and to glow for our Lord—to reflect Christ in all our words and deeds.

“Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”—Romans 12:11

Photo credit: PKMousie / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA