Monday, March 24, 2014

Holy Fire [Part 2]

Just thinking, a little more on the same topic as the other day.  I wrote a couple of days ago in a post titled, "Holy Fire," as I was thinking about how the Bible tells us that "Our God is a consuming fire," in so many places, and uses language to describe him as our refiner, etc.  It was pretty mind blowing and amazing.

Then, yesterday I believe it was, I was thinking on this again.  


Jesus said, 


John 15:1-6 - "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." 


Many times in Scripture, the Lord refers to us as being a part of a plant, like this vine, or a great tree.  


...Yet... He's a consuming fire?  Plants and fire... together... usually produces ash, does it not?  Kinda like the unfruitful branches that are gathered and thrown into the fire, as Jesus says in that analogy.

Well look at this:


Exodus 3:2-4 - "And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.' When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.'"


I dunno... Does that strike anyone else as AMAZING?  That our holy God, a consuming fire, appears to Moses in a burning bush, and the bush is not consumed.  This plant does not turn to ash.  


Makes me think, if we're abiding in HIM, as the branches abide in the bush, we're safe.  He is a consuming fire; yet his flame does not consume his live-giving and life-preserving self, or those who belong to him.      


Pretty cool stuff, this.  :)  I love how God uses creation to explain himself to us.  And how he appears to us in ways that we can understand "Fire is powerful.  Our God is like that."  "The vine gives life to the branches.  Our God is like that."  

He shows himself in creation... in so many different ways.  He truly is above, in, and through all things. (Romans 11:36)

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