Thursday 24 March 2016

PROMOTION AFTER FIRE!

This morning I decided to tidy the garden before the Easter break and before the rain that's forecast arrives. Some of the small branches fell when we had gale force winds and a lot of twigs too.  I decided to put the green branches at the bottom of the garden, where some of the rabbits live and to use the smaller twigs for fire lighting.

I lit the rubbish that has accumulated in the incinerator and added some magazines and the remains of a large candle that had completely burnt out of its jar but had a lot of wax still in the jar.
As I was stood watching it take (it's a converted large oil drum) I could smell a beautiful fragrance.

Of course, the candle wax was melting and in amongst all the flame, smoke and ash, this beautiful fragrance was wafting across the garden.
Then I was reminded of the account of Daniels friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were taken into the fiery furnace because they refused to bow down and worship a golden image.

Daniel 3:5 tells of King Nebuchadnezzar making an image of gold and the people were told that whenever the band the strikes up they were to fall on to the ground and worship his golden image.
3:6 'Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a flaming furnace.'

3:16/17/18 Tells of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego's response:
'O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not worried about what will happen to us. If we are thrown into the flaming furnace, our God is able to deliver us; and he will deliver us out of your hand, Your majesty.'
But if he doesn't, please understand that even then we will never under any circumstance serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have erected.'
If you continue reading you'll see that King Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury and anger and commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual and called upon some of the strongest men from his army to bind them and throw them in the fire.
Verse 22: 'Because the King in his anger had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames leaped out and killed the soldiers as they threw them in!'
Then in verse 24 we read that Nebuchadnezzar jumped in amazement as he could see FOUR men in the furnace walking around, unbound, in the fire and they weren't even hurt by the flames!

Roll on down to verses 26 /27 and we read that Nebuchadnezzar calls the men out of the fire and he saw that the fire had not touched them - not a hair on their heads was singed; their coats weren't scorched and they didn't even smell of smoke!
Lastly, in verse 30 we read that the King then gave promotions to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego so they prospered greatly there in the province of Babylon.

So, what has all of this got to do with me lighting a fire in an old oil drum!?!  Well, this -
We will all go through fires on our journey. Sometimes they will be hotter than at other times, but it will happen. I believe God is bringing us into a place where we live out of that John 5:19 lifestyle where His people, His Church only do what we SEE and HEAR the Father doing.  So it's inevitable that a lot of our 'flesh' our plans, our own desires that are not in alignment with His plans and purposes for our lives, will have to go. At the same time, we are being made more like Jesus!
Out of our love relationship with Him, we lean in, bow, and rest in Him and His ways just like Jesus did with Father.  (Read Johns gospel)
Out of the fires, out of the difficulties comes promotion!!  We will be like Him!  And just as the candle wax melted in the oil drum today; with its fragrance wafting all over the garden; that's like the smell of heaven. That fragrance being breathed in and out of us and smelt wherever we go.

 The promotion always comes, because we have refused to 'bow down to golden images' whatever
they may be personally to you and we have chosen to be obedient and to follow Him.
Let's rest in that this Easter time - as we celebrate and remember our beautiful Saviours sacrifice on the Cross and His rising from the dead so that we might live!  Thank you💕

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