Fire !!

As some people may know, I had a bonfire in my garden the other day to get rid of some old timber. Included in the waste wood to be disposed of, was the old timber summerhouse with veranda. Although this may sound a bit posh it had, in fact, seen better days. So, it had to go – on the bonfire!
 
The difficulty came in trying to systematically dismantle the summerhouse, this became a little problematic as it didn’t want to come apart very easily. The answer, of course, was to tip the whole summerhouse over the now roaring bonfire, this did, however, cause a little bit of concern to the lady of the house! We did carry out a quick risk assessment and decided that if all else failed, we would run, no heroics or water, just run. The ensuing fire was, to say the least, spectacular, raising considerable concern to my wife! However, all was consumed with no real damage, except to the lawn which actually was riddled with weeds anyway.
 
What got me thinking was the power of the fire, how the flames danced and flickered and seemed to possess the power to clear everything in its path. This Sunday is Pentecost Sunday when Christians celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on those first disciples. The Bible tells us that the room where the disciples were, was filled with God’s Holy Spirit and appeared like tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. They were filled with power and so the church came to be. Those disciples, once timid, were now people with a passion, with a desire to share God’s love and the saving power of Jesus.
 
Having seen the power of the flames as my old summerhouse ‘went up’ I was reminded of the Holy Spirit, which is ours today. Please read again Acts Ch 2 and may God’s Spirit lift you up and fan into flames your love for Him. Then this week, go out in God’s power.