Consuming Fire
I was reading Isaiah 9 with my pastor today. The more commonly quoted text from this chapter is verse 6. But the verses that jumped out at me are verses 18-20:
Surely wickedness burns like a fire;
it consumes briers and thorns,
it sets the forest thickets ablaze,
so that it rolls upward in a column of smoke.
19 By the wrath of the LORD Almighty
the land will be scorched
and the people will be fuel for the fire;
no one will spare his brother.
20 On the right they will devour,
but still be hungry;
on the left they will eat,
but not be satisfied.
Each will feed on the flesh of his own offspring:
Clearly the ones inflicting pain are men and their wickedness. Is God’s wrath His withheld grace and mercy? I believe that this could be a troubling thought for many because we believe that we deserve God’s grace. We believe we deserve His protection of our earthly possessions and of our lives. The truth, and it stings, is that we deserve this withheld grace and mercy. We deserve this wrath of God and the only person we can blame is our self.
I pray that we learn to give thanks for the peace and the safty that God provides us daily that goes unoticed or is sinfully expected. I pray that we learn to share God’s grace and mercy, that Jesus Christ took the wrath of the Father on the cross. And I pray that this is our loving motivation to share the new consuming fire of the Holy Spirit that brings us to faith through the water and the word.
In Christ,
Chris
oh in other news: Happy Flannel Friday! thanks Chris W. for the inspiration and Liz for this awesome shirt! Oh yeah, and happy birthday Steve! 
