I’m sure most of you have heard the taunt of “Liar, liar, pants on fire.” Its origin is fascinating and involves the curiosity of a young country boy who stole a cigar from his dad’s smoke box and hid in the tool shed to secretly try out his stolen treasure. After he lit the cigar his dad smelled the smoke and followed its trail.
When the boy heard his father’s footsteps, he stuffed the burning cigar into his back pants pocket. The father opened the shed door and barked at his son to tell the truth about what he’s done. The youngster feigned innocence, saying he was looking for a fishing hook. Suddenly the cigar in his pocket sparked into a flame. The father, of course, spotted it and yelled “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” Then he swiftly turned his son over his knee and whacked his behind extinguishing the danger.
When you stop to think about it, fire is an amazing substance. I recently came across an analysis of fire that you might have read through a couple time to really catch it. Get ready to be challenged. This is what Dan Wells stated:
“In my biology class we’d talked about the definition of life: to be classified as a living creature, a thing needs to eat, breathe, reproduce, and grow. Dogs do, rocks don’t, trees do, plastic doesn’t.
Fire, by that definition is vibrantly alive. It eats everything from wood to flesh, excreting the waste as ash, and it breathes air just like a human, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon. Fire grows, and as it spreads, it creates new fires that spread out and make new fires of their own.
Sometimes when i watch people trudging through their daily routines, I think that fire is more alive than we are – brighter, hotter, surer of itself and where it wants to go. Fire doesn’t settle; fire doesn’t tolerate, fire doesn’t ‘get-by.’”
There’s a fire available to us that’s fully alive and active and fills us with zeal and enthusiasm for God and life and people. The question begs to be asked – how does a person get this incredible, living fire? There’s only one way. The Bible tells us in Matthew 3 that Jesus is the One who gives the Holy Spirit and Fire. So if fire is something that Jesus wants us to possess, then why wouldn’t we pursue it!?
There was a study done once by someone who wanted to find out what the top commands of Jesus were. Not word-for-word but the general tone of the commands.
The study found that the third most spoken command was “Fear not” followed closely by number two, which was “Believe.” The number one command Jesus taught was, “Be made whole.” I believe part of the number one command would be fulfilling Jesus’ desire for us to be filled with the Holy Spirit and fire!
Filled with God’s Spirit and His Fire would undoubtedly be part of “Being made whole” in my book. I want to do everything possible to pursue, take hold of, and obey His Word & will for my life because life is always better with God!
So let’s take up the cause of being ‘fire bugs.” What a novel idea and I bet God would agree. Spread the fire. And just how do we do that? First off, hang around with other fire-lighters. (Go to church!) Attempt fire-lighting deeds for God. (Remember, some people go about doing good. Others just go about.) Be instant in-season and out. (When God speaks, don’t put Him off. Someone else will get your opportunity. Do the work the others won’t do. Pay the price the others won’t pay. Reap the blessings the others won’t reap.)
And one last thing – guard your hearts’ fire like a treasure! As William Booth brilliantly observed, “The tendency of fire is to go out; watch the fire on the altar of your heart. Anyone who has tended a fireplace fire knows that it needs to be stirred up occasionally.”
Bob and Susan Beckett pastorThe Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org
