The Ember

It begins in total darkness. Cold. Empty. And then you see it. Just a hint of it really. You can't see it if you look at it. It's kind of a "corner of the eye" indicator of things to come. And then you notice a gentle easing away of the dark, black void until there is an evident lightening. A glow. A spark. An ember.

A sunrise is the perfect metaphor for our humanness. We are born "dark," as in "the sun ain't shinin'." We are born into sin. Sinful from birth. The following is from the Old Testament.

"5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." - Psalm 51:5

We ARE darkness, you and me. In us there is no light. But then there comes a change. A fire begins to burn in us. A longing. A desire. The ember burns brighter and brighter until . . . when we give our cold, dark hearts to Jesus, the ember bursts into flame and we are born again.

"4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." - John 1:4

"The Light shines in the darkness." God's Holy Spirit begins working in the hearts of those God has called, drawing us closer to God. We are drawn towards the light.

God creates that ember in our hearts. As it begins to glow brighter and brighter it becomes just like the sunrise, there is a gradual brightening in our hearts. And then one day, the sun rises out of the darkness!! And we rise!

When our light bulb first comes on it shines bright. Soon the darkness in our souls begins to fade away, retreating into the corners where it like to hide.The next thing you know the light is shining brightly and we are walking in the light.

"5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." - 1 John:5-7

Have you ever seen the show Fat Guys In The Woods? It is a survival show where a survival expert takes three city boys into the wilderness and teaches them how to survive. There are four essentials to surviving in a harsh environment - shelter, water, food . . . and fire.

There are several ways to start a fire and often that fire begins with just an ember. But the Holy Spirit holds it, nurtures it, and blows life into it. creating just the right environment to create a flame.

We are God's creation. There is a desire in us to know God. Sometimes the darkness overcomes us and we cannot see the glowing ember in our hearts. Our hearts grow cold. But no one, NO ONE, is beyond the reach of God! He can fan the flames of anyone into a roaring fire! That's who God is. That's what He does. God is the great fire starter. Has He lit a fire in your heart? He will if you let Him.

Soul On Fire - Third Day
Trial By Fire - Fat Guys in The Woods