The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the worst natural disasters in American history. The quake and the fire it started destroyed $400 million worth of property. And this was the day before widespread insurance.
Alex’s glass factory was in the middle of the fiery destruction. Sympathetic friends knew that Alex gave a tenth of his earnings to the Lord. They couldn’t understand why God would let such a thing happen to him. The heat was so intense that no one could get near the site for more than a week, yet Alex insisted that God would not let him down. He knew that God had promised in Malachi 3:10 to bless those who tithe.
Finally, Alex could go into the burned area. He found that his glass-works was the only building in the whole area that had not been destroyed. No damage had been done inside, not one jar had been cracked by either the fire or the earthquake. And Alexander Kerr continued to prosper. In fact, the Kerr Glass Manufacturing Corporation went on to become the world’s largest maker of glass jars.
Does this true story encourage you? What is God saying to you through it?
Tags: fire, money, protection, provision
Its pleasantly relaxing to sit around a campfire and listen to the crackle of burning wood. I enjoy the smell of wood smoke, as long as its not in my eyes. I think most men find that calming and enjoyable.
I’ve noticed a strange thing happen in wood fires, though. On occasion, an eerie whistle may come from the depths of an inflamed timber. It can sound like a chirping bird, although no birds chirp in the dark. Where does that pleasant sound come from? Is it the echo of songbirds from long ago when that tree was a sapling?
No, we understand that the sound comes from escaping gases from deep within the wood itself. Yet, there may be a great spiritual lesson for each of us in that whistling sound. Perhaps it should remind us that in troubled times in our lives there should always be a song in our hearts. As a matter of fact, there has been no sweeter sound to God than my hurting heart’s cry to Him. It may sound sadistic, but God loves to hear our outcry to Him in times of trouble. And that broken cry for help moves His heart to respond.
Tags: fire, prayer, trials, trouble
The Holy Spirit set me on fire for Jesus back in 1972. He so consumed my life back then that I couldn’t think of anything but pleasing Him. I read through the entire Old Testament in 3 months, spent hours at night in prayer meetings, and led many of my friends and family to Christ.
The fire still blazes when I keep it stirred up. What is your experience with that Inner Fire?
Tags: anointing, fire
Don’t forget to reset your clocks Sunday morning so you won’t be late for church.
One cold winter night in Epworth, England, the church bell began to ring. People ran ino the dark night and saw that a house was on fire. A crowd gathered and began to fight the fire. Samuel and Susanna had escaped the flames along with six of their children, but no one could find Johnny.
Realizing the worst, Samuel headed back toward the inferno. Town’s people held him back from certain death. The crowd stood there helplessly watching the house burn.
“Look,” someone shouted. A face appeared in an upstairs window. Little Johnny had awakened and come to the window. He could not escape through the house because of the flames.
Then two men came out of the crowd. One climbed upon the shoulders of the other. The flames were intense. Their clothes began to smoke, but the little boy was pulled through the high window by the arms of the living ladder. The little boy saved that night was none other than John Wesley, who shook England with a great revival and founded the Methodist Church. Years later he wrote, “That night I was plucked as a brand from the burning.”
Together let’s build a ladder with our lives to save the little John Wesleys for tomorrow. Paul advised, “Present your bodies as living sacrifices” (Romans 12:1). What’s one way you could do that?
Tags: ., bridge, fire, ladder, rescue, sacrifice, Wesley
There is a true story about a woman trapped on the top floor of a burning building. Flames and smoke blocked every way of escape. When firefighters arrived, one of the men scrambled up a ladder to the window where the woman was screaming for help, and with outstretched arms he offered to save her. But when she looked down and saw the great distance to the ground below, she panicked and drew back into the room.
The fireman attempting the rescue begged her to trust him for her safety, but his pleas were not heeded. In senseless fear she retreated beyond the fireman’s reach. Finally, being forced to return to the ground, he said to a TV cameraman, with tears in his eyes, “I did everything I could to save her, but she wouldn’t let me!”
Would the Lord one day say to you, “I did everything I could to save them, but they wouldn’t let me!?”
Remember His promise, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).
Tags: fear, fire, refusal, salvation
Evangelist Dwight L. Moody used the following illustration to describe ‘Redemption’:
“Out in the Western country, in the autumn, when men go hunting, and there has not been any rain for months, sometimes the prairie grass catches fire, and there comes up a very strong wind, and the flames just roll along twenty feet high, and travel at the rate of thirty or forty miles an hour, consuming man and beast. When the hunters see it coming, what do they do? They know they cannot run as fast as the fire can run. Not the fleetest horse can escape. They just take a match and light the grass around them, and let the flames sweep, and then they get into the burnt district and stand safe. They hear the flames roar as they come along, they see death coming toward them, but they do not fear, they do not tremble, because the fire has swept over the place where they are, and there is no danger. There is nothing for the fire to burn.
“There is one mountain that the wrath of God has swept over – that is, Mount Calvary; and the fire spent its fury upon the bosom of the Son of God. Take your stand by the cross, and you will be safe for time and eternity.”
Tags: fire, judgment, Moody, redemption, rescue
Pastor D. R. Jackson, of Community Baptist Church in Saginaw, Michigan, recounted the following true story:
Our Kindergarten class went to the local fire station for a tour and some instruction in fire safety. The fireman was explaining what to do in case of a fire. He said, “First, go to the door and feel the door to see if it’s hot.” Then he said, “Fall to your knees. Does anyone know why you ought to fall to your knees?”
One of the little tykes said, “Sure, to start praying to ask God to get us out of this mess!”
I believe a “Lord, help!” prayer coming from our hearts is much more effective than a lengthy memorized prayer from our mind.
Tags: fire, humor, prayer