A Rural Devotion – Holy Spirit in the Flames
When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:1-4
We are given many images of the Holy Spirit – dove, fire, water and wind to name a few. I’m going to focus on fire.
Do you feel that you have personally encountered the Holy Spirit?
How often do you feel that you are only one person, how can you make a difference?
I would like to share with you an image of the Holy Spirit – Fire, a small ember – small, insignificant not able to achieve much at all, but with some help and encouragement from the wind it can be moved and become a huge bushfire.
The devil is also associated with fire –fire of devastation and ruin, just like after a huge bushfire, everything seems lost, those beautiful old trees, all devoid of leaves, the trunks blackened and charred.
However, over time after a bushfire, new growth is seen, the mature trees that seemed to be dead produce new growth, seeds shoot that needed to be heated to a certain temperature that is only achieved from fire, things are fresh and new.
In all of this, nothing is reliant on me – I have been filled with the Holy Spirit, no matter how small that spark may be. God does the rest, He knows where I need to be and when. He even gives me the words to say.
May each of us, encouraged by the Holy Spirit, let our ember be taken to where God is leading us to do His will. trusting Him as He has promised to be with us.
I would now like to look more closely at the trees, burned, devoid of leaves, trunk and branches charred. We may look around at our church and feel the same, we don’t have any new life, those of us that do attend regularly are feeling dry, withered with noting more to offer, perhaps feeling a lot like those trees after a fire. God is still at work and I can see shoots appearing, things are slowly changing.
1 Corinthians 3:6-7 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
Dear Lord Jesus,
Fill us anew with your Holy Spirit and open our hearts and minds that we can go forth as your children, sharing your love that others may come to know you.
Lord Jesus in Your Name we pray, Amen.
