Smell the Smoke?
Jordan and I just had a very interesting experience. No your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, yes I am writing this at roughly 4 o clock in the morning. We we driving home from Laurens, down Greenwell Springs Rd and as we got on the road Jordan turns and says to me "Can we roll down the windows Bekah?" I balked about my hair getting frizzy but she argued that it was too late, so we rolled them down... a little ways down the road we suddenly come upon what I thought was a patch of fog, but realized after about a hundred feet that it was a thick cloud of pungent smoke! At 3 in the morning we thought it very odd for someone to be burning trash. So we decided to go back and make sure that nothing was on fire that shouldn't be. We rolled down the windows again to assure we wouldn't miss it and were very relieved to find that it was a smoldering trash pile, and not someones house! We were talking as we drove away and I made the comment "I was just worried that someone would be sleeping through thier house burning!!"
It got qiuet for a few moments.. and in those moments I heard God speak, "You were concerned that those people were burning in their beds and were prepared to wake up strangers to ensure their safety, but what do you do for the lost and dying all around you who will burn in hell eternally??" I began sharing this with Jordan and as I talked it was just like... My gosh!!!! Very literally thoughts were going through my head of "What would I do if those people's house had been on fire? " I would've gone and banged on every window or door I could find to wake them up and ensure they were safe! Or I would've called someone who had the neccessary equipment to lead them to safety! But I wouldn't have passed by and let them burn, not caring what happened!! But every day I come in contact with people - even people I love - who the bible says, are condemned already. If they don't believe, according to John 3 they are already condemned! Where is the urgency to wake them up?!!!?!!?!! I pass on by without a care in the world thinking "Well, I'll offend them if I wake them up. Or it'll be inconvient for me or them, or they won't like being woken up right now... etc." I would never even think twice about stuff like that if their actual house was on fire! But Jesus said their soul is worth so much more! Why on earth do I delay in waking up those who are burning?!?!
It got quiet again as Jordan and I pondered on the things the Lord was speaking to our hearts... And I realized that though we were miles down the road the smoke was still burning my nose and throat. We should come away from every burning soul with the smell of smoke burning in us to pray! Pray in desperation that their eyes will be opened and they will be rescued from eternal fire! We must let the it burn it us as a reminder to intercede and stand on the line for their souls, just as we might for someone whos house is on fire. It says in the word to be eternally minded. Part of which means that you look at every person through the eyes of eternity - their either headed for eternal heaven, or eternal hell. And we should care. We are to be the salt and light of this earth, but of what worth is the salt if it loses it's savor??
2 comments:
Very good word. I was just reading in Ezekiel 4 where God tells Ezek that he has to go tell people stuff or else their blood will be on his hands. There are so many times where God has told me to go and talk to someone but I didn't. That persons blood is on my hands. We need to view what God tells us as so important.
(I know I'm really late in responding to this) but that's so true.. How many times have I brushed Him off? That's an act of direct disobedience, and sin. It requires repentance. And fruit unto repentance - which means that we have to go back and fix what we did wrong (if possible, that is, it would be kinda hard to hunt down someone you saw on the street one day). That's a real challenge.
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