My husband and I needed a small house in which to live; and by the grace of God, we found just the place. But because the house was cold and damp, we decided to buy a wood stove to heat the house. Once it was installed and lit, we were warmed up in no time at all.
We learned some very useful lessons from this, and I would like to share them with you.
First of all, it was obvious that when the stove was off, it was worthless. Can this apply to people as well? Well, without the Spirit of Christ in him, one cannot warm others or protect them from sin's cold death; he himself has no life either.
Most of us know how to light a fire in a stove and keep it burning. The stove doesn't light itself; it has to be lit by someone. The same could be said of the believer. He cannot burn with zeal without the presence of the Holy Spirit, which provides the flame. Without power from above, no one can live the life of Christ, just as the stove is useless until the fire is lit. We are totally dependent upon the Lord for help. If we try to do anything by ourselves, we will try in vain and accomplish nothing.
When starting a fire, we need some pieces of paper, some kindling, and wind. God sees our needs and lights the fire within us by His word. The believer's spiritual life begins when he receives the word (spiritual milk), just as the fire in the stove gets started with small sticks of wood, and is strengthened by His constant care. God gives us His Holy Spirit, and we get started. We do not use logs to start a fire, and God does not give us solid food until He sees we are ready for it. His way of working is a lesson to us how we should share the truth. We must be very careful and patient with souls, because if we are not careful, there is a danger of quenching the flame.
As the believer advances in faith, more food is needed. He is no longer content with milk (small sticks) but needs to be fed solid food (logs). The more he is fed with God's word, the stronger the fire (zeal and faith) within him grows. The fire in the stove burns and gives out more warmth, just as the sweet influence of the Holy Spirit works in the believer so he can reflect the Lord Jesus Christ, warming and comforting souls. All who are around him are blessed, because he himself is fed by the word of God.
God's word confirms this. "Is not My word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" Jeremiah 23:29. The prophet who made this experience wrote: "I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay." Jeremiah 20:9. A person cannot keep the word closed in his heart; he longs to share it with others. The more he gives, the more he is given by God, who provides the fuel which never runs out.
Every morning as I light the fire in the wood stove, I need to be patient. I bend over it and blow, then I pause and repeat the procedure, staying there so it does not die out. This makes me think about the souls who are interested in the truth. We need to approach them the same way as we do the fire in the stove--with patience, bending, kneeling, bearing with them until they yield (get started), waiting and praying, adding spiritual food. And what joy when the flame begins to burn. Then the soul is in God's hands. But we cannot stop caring for it. This is how we are united with each other by living faith.
Eventually we have to run into the forest and gather more fuel. God's word is an endless supply of food, or fuel, for all, from which we take so we can give to all who ask for it.
To make sure the fire does not go out, one must remember to add logs so the place will stay warm. I find I cannot rely on the first log alone. Self-sufficiency in the spiritual sense is a great danger. We accepted Jesus, and the battle began. Will we continue to be faithful? If so, we cannot be satisfied with only our first experience with God's word; we need to ask Him for more.
The wood burns, thus giving warmth. But if we neglect to feed the fire one log after another, it will die out, followed by cold, insecurity, sickness, and death. If our relationship with God becomes lukewarm and our hunger for His word lessens, we only need to pray for Him to increase the desire for His word in our heart and spirit and then to consume it eagerly, just as the fire embraces and consumes the wood.
Even when there is enough wood and coal for the fire, there are times when the fire won't burn well, because it is choked by ashes obstructing the flow of air. The Bible tells us that our sins (iniquities) are an obstruction between us and God. This is one reason why we fail in our Christian life to pass on the warmth that has been given us to impart to others. We are spiritually sick and become unfaithful; we do not have the influence we should have. The Lord has given us everything we need (His grace) to do His will. What do I do when the fire begins to burn low in the wood stove? I take the poker, kneel in front of the stove, open the door, take out the ashes, and poke the coals, blowing on the fire. If you are choked up in this way, kneel before the Lord and ask Him to do this same thing in you--to open your heart's door and pierce your soul and spirit with His sword so the sparks of your faith revive as the Holy Spirit blows. Then you will see how renewed you will feel as He takes away your ashes, cleansing your sins and throwing them away. He is able!
Don't forget that oxygen is essential. If the ashes are not removed (your accumulated sins), how can the Holy Spirit come in? Breath is needed for this. Prayer is the breath of the soul. We receive the Holy Spirit by praying, just as we receive oxygen by breathing. Then one's faith increases and the longed-for work of revival of spiritual life takes place.
Our stovepipe, or stove flue, also collects soot, which builds up and keeps the smoke from passing out; it is forced back into the room and disturbs us, causing us to cough and rub our sore eyes. When a Christian does not leave his problems at the cross of Jesus, confessing all his sins to his High Priest in heaven, he becomes all choked up (like the stove), and he loses the power of endurance. His whole behavior changes, and he begins to smoke, becoming an odor of death. His brethren are not happy to be in his company, his sickening ways make them sore, and they rub their eyes.
When the flue gets choked up--usually two or three times a year, depending on the stove--the soot needs to be swept out, leaving the stovepipe clean and allowing the smoke to go out in the right direction--heavenward. Very often, to cleanse a Christian so he stops smoking, the Lord permits afflictions and trials to alert him, purify him, and bring him back to his senses. Then, instead of sinning by grumbling at his neighbors, thus causing them harm, he confesses his sins and sends them to heaven so the Saviour can blot them out. "Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord:" Lamentations 2:19. Then, being clean, he fulfills his purpose by warming and comforting his fellow beings through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, wood symbolizes man. If we let the Holy Spirit work in us, just as the flame burns the wood, the old fleshly mind will perish and a new spiritual mind will take its place. Then, as the warmth that comes from the burning wood, the life of the faithful Christian will exude warmth, also described in the Scriptures as the fruit of the Spirit.
A traveler was lost in the snow in a dark forest; and in his despair, he cried out to God, who heard him and opened his eyes to a shelter nearby, where he found comforting warmth. He was able to change his wet clothing for clean, dry apparel. The owner was a Great Physician, who healed all the man's diseases, fed him, and gave him rest. Once he was strong and warm, He sent him off to search for other lost travelers.
Were you not also lost while traveling in life's dark forest? When you cried out to the living God, did He not take you in His warm arms? Did He not give you warm food, a clean set of clothing, and His healing? And now, so that you will stay warm, he sends you out into the cold streets to bring others in where He can restore them. Are you feeling weary? Have you turned cold? Is your flame fading out while you are too tired to keep it going? Run quickly to your refuge. Every moment is precious! Go to Him to revive your flame.
If this is what you want, ask Him and He will do it, because He loves you and wants to deliver you from death. Then He will send you with your guardian angel on a mission of salvation. The Lord calls for more people to labor in His vineyard. "The words were spoken, ÔStrengthen the outposts; have faithful sentinels in every part of the world.' God calls for you, young men. He calls for whole armies of young men who are large-hearted and large-minded, and who have a deep love for Christ and the truth." --Testimonies for the Church, vol. 6, p. 411 (Messages to Young People, p. 224).
"And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 6:8.
--Martha Terzis, Greece
