OSWALD CHAMBERS
Did not our heart burn within us…?
We need to learn this secret of the burning heart. Suddenly Jesus appears to us, fires are set ablaze, and we are given wonderful visions; but then we must learn to maintain the secret of the burning heart— a heart that can go through anything. It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart— unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus.
Much of the distress we experience as Christians comes not as the result of sin, but because we are ignorant of the laws of our own nature. For instance, the only test we should use to determine whether or not to allow a particular emotion to run its course in our lives is to examine what the final outcome of that emotion will be. Think it through to its logical conclusion, and if the outcome is something that God would condemn, put a stop to it immediately. But if it is an emotion that has been kindled by the Spirit of God and you don’t allow it to have its way in your life, it will cause a reaction on a lower level than God intended. That is the way unrealistic and overly emotional people are made. And the higher the emotion, the deeper the level of corruption, if it is not exercised on its intended level. If the Spirit of God has stirred you, make as many of your decisions as possible irrevocable, and let the consequences be what they will. We cannot stay forever on the “mount of transfiguration,” basking in the light of our mountaintop experience (see Mark 9:1-9). But we must obey the light we received there; we must put it into action. When God gives us a vision, we must transact business with Him at that point, no matter what the cost.
We cannot kindle when we will
The fire which in the heart resides,
The spirit bloweth and is still,
In mystery our soul abides;
But tasks in hours of insight willed
Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled.
THE SECRET OF THE BURNING HEART AS WE AGE…. In as much that I really do not want to get old and would prefer to go when I still can think and act clearly. If only for my ‘coming’apos, I can probably withstand the travails of being an elderly and die of good old ripe age, HOPEFULLY, kasi nowadays, the big ‘C’ hungs like the sword of Damocles ready to cut off all the bad and the best of this generation. Truly it is the scourge of this millennium but they say you can always pray to Saint Joseph for a peaceful death. ENOUGH though… plenty time still to do great things for GOD and others … SENIORS UNITE AND CHANGE THE WORLD!… time still to experience the joy in doing His work in the way the Lord wants it to be done… with PASSION. No rest until the final rest as the task is enormous….to WRITE what needs to be written, to SPEAK what needs to be spoken, to TEACH what needs to be taught… to INSPIRE the uninspired and to inflict WISDOM to fools even in our own church and community. In the movie, Serendipity… towards the end of the movie, This quote from John Cusack’s buddy says “The Greeks didn’t write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: Did he have passion?”
Comments are closed.