The fires are burning!
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 (6:22 am)
by George Whitten, Editor of Worthy Devotions
2 Corinthians 7:1 Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Throughout Colorado and New Mexico forest fires are burning out of control. Last night, we had the priviliage of hosting a pastor and his wife. They were leading a tour group visiting different ministries throughout Israel. While the pastor was checking his email, he received word that houses near his congregation in Colorado were being evacuated.
Yet even as these raging fires consume the forest, something is quietly going on to prepare their very renewal.
You see, there is an unusual species of Evergreen called the Lodgepole Pine that grows in great numbers throughout Northwest America, especially in Yellowstone Park. A fascinating aspect of this Pine is the uniqueness of its cones. Lodgepole Pine cones may stay on the tree for years before they fall off – and, even when they do fall, they will not open to release their seed…until they are in the presence of intense heat! What could explain this remarkable ecological foresight?
God, having designed nature, even in its fallen condition which includes devastating forest fires, has providentially prepared for their subsequent renewal by designing a Pine tree whose reproduction requires the agent of its own destruction…fire! So, even as trees, wildlife, and all living things are being destroyed in a forest blaze, the seeds of renewal are also being released for the "resurrection" of forest life…because, of course, since their seeds are actually released by the fire, the Lodgestone Pines are the first to grow in an area that's been burned!
In each of our own lives, there are areas that need to be, or are already being burned up — consumed by the "Refining Fire" of God's Holy Spirit. Yet God has also provided for a renewal in us…a "seed" of something brand new, which can only be birthed by intense heat. This new seed, however it manifests in our lives, represents the resurrection life of Christ, which emerges in the presence of His purifying fire. So the Lodgepole Pine is a picture for us, of resurrection and hope in the midst of fiery trials.
Let's endure our fiery trials with great hope, allowing Him to consume everything in us which does not serve His Glory! With so much work to be done — we must not despise the cleansing process — even if it means a lot of heat!
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