It
has been years since I have heard anyone refer to another as “on fire.” Has our
culture and church life, the understanding of spiritual things, changed so much
that we are even ashamed to get excited about Jesus? I’m not talking about
being charismatic or Pentecostal; in fact, I’m not speaking of behaviors that
relate to external beliefs; rather, I’m speaking about the passion that rises
up from deep within the soul of the believer. The one who has put his or her
faith and trust in Jesus Christ and as a result of that relationship longs, or
as I wrote last week, craves the Christ-life.
Fire
is an amazing thing. Having served several years in the fire service and still
being associated with it through a chaplaincy, I have had opportunities to see
fire at work. Fire gives off heat; fire gives off light; fire causes expansion;
fire burns. I truly get excited when I think about the character and nature of
fire and how much the church of the Lord Jesus Christ has in common with it.
Ministries
have even been built around the matter of “burn out.” There is an enormous
difference between being burned out on Jesus and being burned up in Jesus.
Simply put, burn out is when we rely on our own strength (which is limited).
Being burned up is relying on the strength that is in Jesus Christ and never
coming to a place of burnt out.
After
this summer, I can now say that I think I know what it means to be right on the
brink of burning out. It took some deep soul searching, prayer, and time alone
with God to realize the areas of my life that were under my own power rather
than the power of Jesus.
The
Prophet Jeremiah found himself in a similar place, on the brink of burning out or
burning up! Jeremiah 20 records his complaint vividly. I simply want to point
out one nugget of truth we find in this passage that is key to our survival
when in the midst of the fire. In verse 9, we read the well-known verse in
which Jeremiah proclaims “But if I say I will not remember Him or speak anymore
in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire shut up in my
bones; and I am weary of holding it in, and I cannot endure it.”
Here
is a great truth for the moment; surviving burn out has little to do with the
circumstances on the outside and much to do with the situation on the inside!
Are we doing what we do because of Christ who lives in me or because I am
trying to condition my life for results? Even though Jeremiah was frustrated,
discouraged, confused, angry, and absolutely wanted to quit, he was compelled
from the inside to persevere. Rather than burn out, he burned up for Jesus! In
verse 11, Jeremiah proclaims with an emboldened heart, “But the Lord is with me
like a dread champion…”
I
pray that you will join me in striving to condition our hearts rather than
condition the circumstances of our lives. I pray that we would live under the
power of Jesus Christ rather than our own strength. I have embarked on a
journey to do just this. I pray you would join me so that together we would
never burn out but rather burn up for Jesus!
