Fight fire with fire? Not!

Over the last several years, the Arizona, California, and New Mexico forests have had their share of challenging fires. Some ignited by man, others ignited by nature, but all very damaging in their effects. Fire has a way of "catching" and "taking hold" quicker than we can imagine. A few week's ago, we had a fire in a neighboring area just outside of the town limits where I live. There were homes lost to the ravages of the licking flames - some for human dwelling, others for the creatures of the desert that made their sanctuary those scrub grasses, cacti, and now scarred juniper trees. The destruction of one spark resulted in the complete devastation of a huge area - leaving nothing but a 'fire scar'. Fire is indeed not a thing to be taken lightly, especially when it might be the result of the words we have spoken!

A gentle response defuses anger, but a sharp tongue kindles a temper-fire.  (Proverbs 15:1 MSG)  

Temper-fires are those moments in time when we put on display the heat of our anger or misgiving - sudden outbursts - sparks of passion which can certainly "catch fire" quicker than we realize.  One thing for us to keep in mind is the condition of the mind behind this kind of "fire". It could be it has become a  habit - not a one time deal - but a well-practiced, frequently occurring way of responding to life events that don't go our way. These outbursts are really part of a person's disposition - it is our characteristic attitude when times get tough. It is important for us to realize we come to be known by the impact of the attitude we exhibit under pressure. Where the spirit goes, so do our emotion. Let emotions rule and you end up seeing flames where only a spark may have been! When we say a metal is "tempered", we are referring to a process of adding carbon to steel, so as to make it harder. The purpose of adding carbon to the steel is to make it "abrasive". I wonder if it would be okay to think of our "temper" as making us "hard" and a little "abrasive"? When we begin to see the influence of the "tempering" process, we might just want to see our "temper" become a thing of the past!

Solomon compared the "sharp tongue" as "kindling" a temper "fire". The way metal is tempered is through fire. The way sharpness is produced is by making the metal harder and harder. We will do well to realize the "harder tongued" are probably finding themselves in and out of the fire a lot! Tempering the metal is a process of heating up, cooling down, and heating up again. Isn't this an accurate description of a man's temper? It heats up, quickly cools, then reheats again - almost without warning! 
What are the attributes of a sharp tongue? One characteristic is criticism. The sharp-tongued are those who hurl criticisms quicker than compliments. Ever heard the adage - "it takes one to know one"? The one criticizing us might actually struggle with the same thing we do. They may be unable to see it, or admit it. Criticism is an action of passing judgment - something scripture quickly warns us not to engage in. There is only one judge - God. He is the only one who can see the "big picture", so he is the only one who can weigh the intentions of the heart and know if a man is right or wrong. Since criticism is a form of passing judgment without all the facts, it stands to reason how this can act as a "spark" which results in an all-out fire!  

Another characteristic of the sharp tongue is bitterness. This attribute is often not "seen" as much as it is "heard". Bitterness has a way of manifesting in our words first - actions follow. There is a stinging, almost piercing effect to bitter words. They often display hurt or betrayal. There is an intensity to them which almost comes across as hostile - maybe not toward you, but toward someone in the person's past or present who has done a number on them! Bitterness doesn't develop in a moment - it takes a period of time to take hold. You know, a fire doesn't just spring up - it takes time to take hold, but once it has a hold - watch out! The tendency of the sharp tongue to be sarcastic is another issue. Sarcasm is a form of "cutting words" which are usually masked behind other words. Regardless of how we try to mask the sarcasm, it mocks another. It conveys scorn and contempt. As a Girl Scout, I was taught to never "disrespect" the fire. In other words, be ever aware of the glowing embers. No fire was ever completely out just by kicking a little dirt over it. You had to smother it out! Sarcasm can continue to do great damage when it is "smoldering" and just waiting for the moment to take hold again - spouting out those cutting words as easily as a fire creates its cutting flames!

No wonder God warns us of the sharp tongue! No wonder he likens its effect to a "fire-starter". Remember this - you cannot go in and out of the flames too many times without becoming affected by the flames! At first, you might just bear the tell-traces of the fire, such as the smell of the smoke on your clothes. In time, you will begin to see evidence of the charring effect of the flames. Go in and out of the flames long enough and you will eventually find yourself "converted" by the flames - into something which gives hardness - carbon! Isn't carbon one of the main elements of coal? Don't we use coal to make even more flames? Anyone else seeing a repetitive cycle here? If we aren't the one with the sharp tongue, we likely know someone with one. Either way, God can douse the flames of the fire, but first he has to be joined by the "fire-fighting" team! You cannot do it alone - he must "captain" our fire brigade! Just sayin!

A full tank - fueled for the day

When my BBQ grill runs out of propane, it is usually right in the middle of cooking something like chicken or steak. There I sit, expecting a tasty BBQ meal and then at about halfway through, I have to improvise by bringing it all inside and cooking it on the stovetop. What a disappointment it is when the flames 'burn out'. In our spiritual life, our flame can burn out if it isn't kept fueled and ready for use. Just a little fuel is not enough - it can leave you 'improvising' life - and we all know improvised life isn't as good at the one 'finished well'!

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality. (Romans 12:12)

How is it you keep yourself fueled and aflame? I know some like to get away to that special spot in the woods, just taking in nature for a while. Others appreciate a great family gathering, complete with card games and good food, where laughter abounds and the 'bragging rights' of being the best at canasta or euchre is something we know isn't a 'pride thing', but a way of having a little fun with the sibs. Another may feel a special 'infilling' of God's best just by taking a long walk, feeding a few ducks along the canal, and observing the beauty of the trees in full bloom. 

Fuel is found in a lot of things, but there is one fuel that never burns out - the fuel of the Word. We need to take it in regularly, so we remain fueled for the 'fire' of life. We also find fuel in times of contemplative prayer - those times when we just let our mind wander in God's presence - allowing him to speak into us and embracing his peace as it envelopes our lives. Listen to a long play list of your favorite worship songs and see what it does for your spirit. It will refuel you without you even realizing it - little bits and pieces of those songs speaking something deep into your spirit. 

Keep yourself fueled - this suggests to us that there is an active participation in us remaining fueled. It doesn't happen by osmosis. We just don't sit and expect to be refueled. We open the Word of God, get into it, come across passages we don't really understand, and then we ask God to show us the meaning. We dig out the dictionary and discover the various meanings of the words used. We allow God to open his Word to us and to break us open with it, as well. We take time to admit our sin, seek his forgiveness, and listen intently as he breaks chains in our lives. Keep means we don't let up - ever!

Be alert and cheerfully expectant. If I am waiting for a delivery from Amazon, I am 'alert' to the sounds of the idling engine outside by the curb and the footsteps of the one coming to the door. If I am not expecting anything that day, my level of alertness to the 'street noises' is different. I am not 'on alert' because there is nothing expected. Part of keeping ourselves fueled is living with an expectation of receiving something each day - of being filled over and over again - so we are ready for the day. Expectant people find they aren't disappointed in his presence. For it is there they find filling for their 'tank' that is unlike any other 'fuel'. Just sayin!

Hello....you out there?

So seek God and live! You don't want to end up with nothing to show for your life but a pile of ashes, a house burned to the ground. For God will send just such a fire, and the firefighters will show up too late. (Amos 5:6)

Ever find yourself in a place where it feels like everything around you is 'on fire' and you are somehow trying to put out all the fires at once? I think we occasionally find ourselves in these times of wearing and quite frustrating 'firefighting'. Most of us can put out a small fire, but those bigger ones require the expertise of the firefighter specifically trained in the task! Amos was one of the twelve minor prophets of Israel. He finds himself leading a group of people who had little time for God and lots of time for their good life. The armies of Assyria (one of their fiercest rivals) were battling for bigger territory and Israel was allowed to live almost without warfare during that time, enjoying the expansion of their own territory without the need for battle. Although the nation was prospering and expanding, their heart for God was not so expansive. There are times when we enjoy 'prosperity' and 'goodness', almost forgetting about who it is that blesses us with such good things.

Values are often determined by the circumstances we find ourselves in. When Israel was "down on its luck" with armies battling them on every side, they sought God, listened to the prophets and wanted to be engaged in worship. When they seemed to be living carefree, they had little need for God in their lives. Their values were allowed to be shaped by the prosperity they enjoyed - oftentimes focusing on their own gain, and leaving the poor or sick to fend for themselves. Amos comes with a tough message - either they wake up to their drifting away from God, or face his coming judgment! He was bringing a message that the 'fire' was coming - they better be prepared. God gives us these warnings when we need them in our lives and if we heed them quickly, the fires will not get out of hand. If we ignore them, there is no telling how big the fires will get before they are under control!

It is a hard one to deliver, but probably even harder to listen to when you find yourself enjoying great times and then being brought to the realization you just might have left God out of the equation! Here's the cold, hard facts - God makes no differentiation when it comes to sin. Either you are guilty of sin or not. The fact that you are a child of God when you sin is just as significant as when a total unbeliever sins. The only difference is that we recognize that we have someone to run to with our sin, whereas the unbeliever is just left dealing with the outcome of their sin. With each period of compromise in our lives, compromise gets easier and it gets bigger! It is like we are lending fuel to the fire. Thank goodness that God gives us messengers of his grace! We may not get a "prophet" to show up on our doorstep, but we do experience the grace of his message! It may be in hearing the Word of Truth through another believer, or a convicting thought comes to mind through the action of the Holy Spirit within, but we get the message!

Our position as God's chosen and loved does not make us exempt from his position on sin, nor on the potential for sin in our lives! We have a responsibility to live right! When we don't - God reminds us of our responsibility! Plain and simple. God's Word measures us to make sure we stay on the "plumb" with God. When we are getting a little "out of plumb", his Word has a way of bringing us back into plumb. That is why God sent the prophets of the Old Testament - to act as a plumbline to bring his people "back to plumb" with him. It may be time to begin to consider the condition of our hearts. We might find that we are "melting away" without really seeing that we are - so busy fighting fires that we don't see all the fuel we have been giving them. Before we find nothing but a pile of ashes to remind us of what we once enjoyed, wouldn't it be better to "adjust our plumb" now? Just askin!