Lately, I’ve been disappointed in the dwindling fire within myself, others, and the church. And I’m making a call out to us as Christians, don’t grow cold, don’t grow weary, don’t fear but quickly fan the embers we have left. If we don’t…. the fire within us will quickly go out.
This time of year is one of my favorites. We will gather and brand calves. When arriving to the pens, we may sort out a few, tie up our ponies and unload the necessities to work. We gather up a bit of wood, tear up a feed sack, from the ranch truck, stike a match and get a fire going. When it’s rollin a bit and we’ve made a few coals, we set our brands on and let ‘em get hot. We load up vaccine guns, a roper tightens their cinch and takes down their rope, and drags his first one to the fire. If calves aren’t enough to make your day, the smell of a fire and burnt hair just add to the ambiance of ranch living. Nothing like branding season and all the sights and smells that go along with it.
As far as our spiritual lives go, the problem is not fire but rather the lack thereof… preventing us from passionately pursuing God and igniting the fire within other believers. Now I’m no theologian, I’m just a cowboy pastor’s wife living out in the middle of nowhere but I don’t see the water haulin’ truck heading to the Christian community right now. I don’t see us speaking up for what’s right, I don’t see us standing up to fear and bowing down to God. This is why the lesson Paul gives to Timothy was vital to the church then and to us now. “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God” 2 Tim. 1:6. Haven’t you seen a few cowboys fan a fire with their hat just at the right moment and voila… flames? That’s what we need now. We need some fanning, we need some embers to burn hot, we need flames to ignite the gift of God within us. It may look like some folks speaking up. It may look like some laws being changed. Most of all, it will looks like us seeking God and standing up for truth. We need more faith and less fear. We need courage to share our testimony of what Christ has done so that others will come to know Him. And since that fire can not survive with only one piece of wood, neither can we. We need each other so that we do not become lukewarm. Rev. 3:16
Let’s revisit the problem however to get a better perspective…..
Here’s an example….Did you know that our Country right now is suffering? If you didn’t, you probably have your head stuck in a feed sack or stuck somewhere…, you fill in the blanks. Or you’ve been way out on a ranch without internet. But when you come to town, you see strange things. People looking at each other like it’s a real life game of “Clue”…it was Colonel Mustard, in the library, with a revolver. These “looks” from town folks are for different reasons…this one wears a mask, this one does not. You hear your buddy at the feed store talking about the possibilities of looters coming and destroying his business. All the sudden you wonder what you’ve missed. Strange looks from people you’ve known for years, makes you wonder if you’re zipper is down or you have a sign on your back that says, “I’ve been on the ranch and have no idea what the town folks are up to”.
22 shells are the only ones on the shelf and dry goods are no where to be found. All the sudden you realize it’s not hunting season ……something is not adding up. Crazy right, especially these last three months of life. Does it seem like years to anyone else?
But here’s what it really is…..
An enemy lurking. It sounds like sleeping Christians! And it sounds like a taste of what’s to come for the next episode of some gosh awful movie that you can’t believe you wasted days wages on! Can we really go inside and hide every time danger lurks? Will we become a wussified nation? Oh Lord help us! And I really mean that!
But here’s what we can do….
- Strengthen our dependency on God. History does repeats itself. Man sins, strays from God. Man or woman, tries everything else and holds opinions of themselves and others higher than God. It’s time to call out to Him. Lets not waste anymore time but humbly approach the throne of God with repentant hearts.
- Pray first. “The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” James 5:16. In order to become righteous, we must align ourselves to God’s word. It’s true we cannot earn righteousness, that only comes thru Christ shed blood for us. Perfectionism looks for rules, righteousness is seeking forgiveness and trusting God for guidance. We must pursue the constant alignment of truth in our lives thru regular study and communication in prayer.
- Remember. Paul told Timothy to remember sincere faith, which first lived in his mother and his grandmother. We need to remember God is faithful, He has been in the past, He will be in the future. Remembering His faithfulness quenches our doubts and changes our mindset.
- Fan the flames. Not just those in the branding pen but the ones in our hearts. The gift of God within us. Further instruction in 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us we are not to be timid but full of power and of sound mind.
- Tell others. Testify without shame about Jesus Christ. We can no longer afford silence, if we don’t speak up someone else does the speaking for us and more than likely it’s not what you believe. Be bold friends!
Can you imagine the change we will see when we fan the flames? When together we build up the fire? Our dependency must come from Christ and the body of Christ fanning the flames. Most importantly, God desires restoration to Him. No one knows the time or day of His return. I’d much rather work on the fire than to sit by and watch it die. Will you join me?
Can you testify to something Christ has done for you lately? We all need to hear some good news.
Thank you for reading,
The cowboy pastors wife
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