"Our God is a Consuming Fire"

Hebrews 12:28-29
Therefore, since we are recieving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Since we are recieving a kingdom that cannot be shaken...

This is something that should ring in your heart, stir your spirit, rattle your inner being. We are looking in the face of God, we are worshiping the One Who is the Almighty, and through Him, "We are RECIEVING a kingdom that cannot be shaken! It is all His! His is the kingdom, it belongs to Him! Its the Kingdom of God! Its "HEAVEN" where one day we will live for all enternity! Are you ready?

The inheritance that belongs to Christians and the awesomness of God make worship and grateful prayer our logical actions. Listen, it says since we are recieving this kingdom, "LET US BE THANKFUL..." One translation states, "Let us have grace.." We are to be thankful and in grace, whereby we may serve God "ACCEPTABLY." By that, we are to be, well-pleasing in serving Him. This is to be with "reverence and awe" or "with reverence and godly fear." One other way to put it would be, with "reverent caution," lest we should offend God. Our worship is in reverent caution, it is with grace and very thankful.

In these blogs, we have been dealing with "Aggressive Worship." We have looked at several short lessons concerning this topic. But within this lesson comes a deeper thought. In our worship, is this where we are? Are we thankful? Are we in grace serving God acceptably? Are we well-pleasing in serving Him? This cuts deep, for many do not comprehend the depth of this one fact. Many do not wish to comprehend. But we have great need in so doing. This should be the greatest desire of our hearts in our worship of God. The reason is found in verse 29.

"For our God is a consuming fire."

A reference to this verse is found in (Deut. 4:24) "For the Lord God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God." This sounds scary, as well as it should. But there is a beautiful thought within this. His fire may bring judgment to the wicked, but it builds humility, faith and purity in those who seek an even deeper relationship with Him. He will often use our circumstances, our problems, failures, maybe people in our lives... as fuel for this "REFINING FIRE," but His flames never burn out of control. It burns and it builds. As gold being set ablaze to bring out the pureness of the gold, God wants to burn away the dross of our lives, and bring forth purity within, faith within, and humility within.

When Scriptures speak of God as a jealous God. it means that He desires us in the purest and most relentless way. His is a jealousy that humankind can never know, for God is the only one who has a right to be jealous, because He is the only one who is perfect in love. His jealousy is not controlling, it is releasing. It is His Holy commitment to us. It is because of His deep love for us, and His deep desire for us. But we also need to know, His jealousy is an absolute intolerance of anything that would divide our affection and thereby forfeit His best for us. Therefore,nothing in any way should come between our relationship with Him. Nothing should, in any way, be allowed that can offend this jealous love.

He wants "ALL" of us, not just a little.

I am reminded of an old poem, penned by St. John of the Cross, "Living Flame of Love." Its a fire that burns, yet molds. Even as we said, it never burns out of control, but even its temperature is kept where His best is the result. Its a fire that as we allow it to shape us, He is the result that comes forth.

You are deeply loved! Allow that fire to burn deep into your soul. You will never be the same!
Allow Him to set your life on fire!!!!