A BURNING HEART
POSTED ON 01/02/10
‘Shining’ and ‘burning’
I have been challenged recently by what Jesus says about John the Baptist in John 5:35. Looking back on John’s life, Jesus describes him as a ‘burning and shining lamp’. John had served Jesus, going before him preparing the way for him like a lamp. What captivates me is that Jesus points out that John was more than a ‘shining’ lamp. He was also a ‘burning’ lamp. Jesus drew attention to what was going on inside John as well as outside.
Productivity is not enough
It seems to me that there is a tremendous amount of pressure on us to be productive and to be seen to be doing well as Christians. I have discovered again that, as good as the external productivity may be, what makes the difference in God’s eyes is the internal conditions of our hearts. This can create a culture where we allow our performance to measure how well we are doing with God. It is possible for us to believe that how well we sang, preached or even prayed is the thing that qualifies us.
Fire will test our work
It’s true that God will test our works. First Corinthians 3:13 says that in the final analysis, God will test the works each of us have done by fire and the quality of what we do for God will be tested not for what size it is, but what sort it is. Some will be revealed to be gold, silver or precious stones. These will withstand the fire. But some will be exposed as wood, straw or hay and all that will be left of these is ashes. The truth is, two people could do the same works – preach the same sermon, pray the same prayer. But in God’s eyes one would come out as gold, one would come out as ashes.The only thing that differentiates it is the internal condition of the heart that offered it.
Prayer is the remedy
This is where prayer makes the difference. Alone before God, my heart is as plain and as bare as it can be. No external signs of success can disguise it. Leonard Ravenhill says, ‘The pulpit can be a shopwindow to display one’s talents; the prayer closet allows no showing off.” I want my heart to burn for God consistently like John the Baptist. His ministry diminished as soon as Jesus came on the scene (‘He must increase, but I must decrease’ John 3:30). I want that to be true of me too. If God brings pruning and decrease then that’s OK. My heart must still be a burning lamp!
James Aladiran
