Fueling the Fire

The water in the home in which I grew up was heated by a fire that burned in a firebox in our kitchen. Every day, summer or winter, we fed the fire with wood or coal, ensuring we had hot water for our family’s needs.

If the fire had not been lit, there was no hot water.

We made sure we always had newspaper and kindling wood on hand, and a steady supply of coal was delivered to our home.

It was a part of our everyday lives. Light the fire, keep it going, make sure we have hot water. It happened every single day. If it didn’t, the water was stone cold. A relationship with God is very similar. The fires of faith have to be kindled every day. Without coming to God to heat your faith, you’ll be surviving on whatever faith you have left in the tank. It doesn’t take long for hot water —or faith— to cool and eventually become cold. Ellen White’s counsel in Steps to Christ is as important today as it has ever been. She wrote, “Consecrate yourself to God in the morning; make this your very first work. Let your prayer be, ‘Take me, O Lord, as wholly Thine.

I lay all my plans at Thy feet. Use me today in Thy service. Abide with me, and let all my work be wrought in Thee.’ This is a daily matter.”* These important words spell out how the mechanics of Christianity operate.

Every day we are granted the privilege of inviting God into our lives. Our prayer is to be one of complete surrender: “Take me as wholly Thine.

I lay all my plans at Your feet. Use me today as You see fit. Dwell in me, and let my actions be guided by Your Spirit.” This is the life of faith, the life of a Christian believer —total surrender to God, permitting His will to be done in one’s daily life. The person who follows this divine plan will possess a faith that will never run cold.