Quench Not the Spirit

                      

I Thessalonians 5:19 (KJV) Quench not the Spirit.

 My brother and I were more than siblings; we were best friends. We did the same things with the same people. One of our best childhood friends was Charlotte, who lived on a farm outside of town. The farm was a place full of possibilities and adventures. Until the day we bit off a little more than we could chew.

One summer day, Dave and I made our way to the farm to have an overnight camping trip. Charlotte's family farm was on the Arkansas River and had lots of sandy beaches. We planned to pitch a tent, cookout and sleep under the stars, maybe do a little fishing. The afternoon was spent on the river, hiking and exploring along the banks.

As the afternoon wore on, we decided to make camp and start a fire to cook our dinner. The summer had been dry and the river was a slow trickle down the middle of its bed. Charlotte and I gathered driftwood as Dave started the fire. Kansas is known for contrary winds, and that day was no different. The wind pick up a cinder and dropped it nearby in a clump of dry weeds.

Soon the fire was darting down the riverbank, picking up speed as it hungrily ate the parched grasses. Dave acted fast. He grabbed an old t-shirt, wetted it in the river, and started pounding out the blaze. Charlotte and I froze for a minute, then found an old paint can and ran to the river.

Dave yelled, "No time! Fill it with sand!"

We spent an hour putting out that fire and another one monitoring for any more sparks. When you're a teenager, you never expect to face that level of danger in your own territory. We hugged and cried, then laughed and promised to never tell a soul how we caused (and put out) a wildfire.

 Every time "quench" is mentioned in the Bible, it refers to fire. A flame is a living thing. It eats, breathes and grows, thus rendering it difficult to extinguish. When I invited the Savior into my heart, His spirit began to live in me, as an unquenchable fire. I can choose to build up His spirit, feeding it with the kindling of good works and Bible study, or I can quench it.

There is an interesting fact about His Spirit Fire. It's not at all disorderly, like a wildfire. Instead, His flame is steady and bright; consuming and growing exponentially, warming both the inhabitant and others around them.

Let it burn!

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Female in Motion Exercise Update:  I did three disco aerobic workouts last week, adding five more minutes. I'm up to 25 minutes per session now. Proud of the progress. Hungry for more. 

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Notable Quote:

Deuteronomy 4:24 (KJV)
For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.