I don’t know if this ever happens to you, but occasionally, I will read a bible verse that stops me in my tracks. The verse catches my attention and the spirit of God won’t let me go. So, sometimes I’ll meditate on just one verse of scripture for several days. Not long ago, I read a verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:19. It says, Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.”
I thought, “What an interesting verse!” The Apostle Paul is clearly giving us a caution and a warning. Watch what is happening in your spiritual life…don’t let it die. Don’t let the fire burn out.
Fire is one of the most frequent biblical images for God’s presence with his people. The connection is made in such passages as Exodus 3:1-5 (Moses and the burning bush), Exodus 13:21 (the pillar of fire), Leviticus 9:24 (fire from the Lord consuming the burnt offering), I Kings 18:24 ("The god who answers by fire—he is God."),
In the New Testament we see Matthew 3:11 ("He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."), Acts 2:3 ("They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire.") and Hebrews 12:29 ("Our God is a consuming fire.").
But here we see Paul’s caution to “not put out the Spirit’s fire”. The words “put out” refer to putting out a literal fire. You can put out a fire by dousing it with water, by covering it up (to keep it from oxygen) or you can let it run out of fuel. Normally, you don’t put out a fire by accident. The fire goes out because someone takes steps to put it out.
How would you put out the Spirit’s fire in your life? Well, I think there are a lot of things that can do it. Disobedience would do it. Harboring sin would do it. Criticizing someone else’s love for the Lord would do it. Holding bitterness in your heart would do it. We can put out the Spirit’s fire by saying no to the Lord.
We can also quench the Spirit’s fire by not using the spiritual gifts that God has given us. What a blessing it is that God would give us spiritual gifts, but what a tragedy to not use them.
But one of the most common ways of putting out the Spirit’s fire is by neglect.
I grew up going on camping trips with my family. One of the things I loved the most was sitting around the campfire at night. We roasted marshmallows, told stories, and laughter a lot. If you’ve ever built a campfire, you know it needs attention to keep it going. If you build a campfire, no matter how many logs you have, or how high the flames, eventually it will burn out. You have to stoke the fire and continue to add wood.
On occasion, as the fire begins to burn down, a piece of wood will fall out of the fire. The log that bright orange with fire, in just a few minutes will become a black charred piece of wood. But if you take that same log and put it back on the fire, it won’t take long for it to glow once again.
I’ve seen Christians who were passionate for Christ. You could say they were “on fire for God.” But overtime, with neglect, they became cold. The fire had gone out.
I hope this speaks to you. Let’s listen to the words of the Apostle Paul, “don’t put out the Spirit’s fire.” Watch your spiritual life. Pay attention to your spiritual disciplines. Maintain a passion for Jesus by pursuing him.
Today’s Challenge: If your spiritual fire has gone out, believe that it can burn again. Return to Jesus, repent, and let him fill you with his Holy Spirit. If you will draw close to God, he has promised that he will draw close to you.
