On Fire for Jesus

Another version of this verse tells us never to be lacking in zeal. Zeal is an old-fashioned word. You tend not to hear it much, except in negative statements about someone being “overzealous” or a political activist being a “zealot.”

But zeal in the Bible is a common theme and a positive virtue. As Christians, we need zeal. We need to take responsibility to keep the fire burning in our hearts. We need to stay in love with Jesus, not losing our first love. This is not always easy. Life is sometimes harsh and demanding. Ministry can be the same, sometimes worse.

In such situations we need to take responsibility for our own soul-care and make sure that we don’t become fatigued and frustrated. We really have two choices: to keep on fire or become burned out. The Father’s intention is not that we should burn out but burn bright. So, steward your passion for the Lord with diligence. As John Wesley once said, “If we catch fire, people will come from all around to watch us burn.”—Mark Stibbe¹

This morning I dragged myself out of bed. The sun isn’t even fully up, so why should I be? As I mulled over that pithy logic, I dressed, grabbed my bag, and trudged out the front door.

I got through my workout, and then I heard someone singing. I don’t know about other gyms, but generally, no one sings at my gym. If they do, it’s usually between a hum and a breathless squeak. This was real singing, confident and clear. I heard the word “Jesus.” Then he began a variation of “Thy Word Is a Lamp unto My Feet.”

In just a couple of minutes, this guy had both inspired me and put me to shame. He was sharing his faith in a simple, powerful way. As Dwight L. Moody put it, he was “preaching from his Bible bound in shoe leather.”

When he finished singing, he smiled and said, “I hope you have a great day!” Then he picked up his bag and walked out. You’d better believe my day turned upside down in a great way. I told my wife about it when I got home. I told my friends. I told my family. I told just about as many people as I could, and now I’m telling you.

There is always someone near you that you can influence in a positive way. There in the gym, this guy changed my outlook and blessed me through his willingness to honor God. Likewise, we’re each continually meeting, interacting with, and influencing many people. If we can exhibit joy in a weary world, we can change lives, too.

May we always strive to be a good example, because others may not allow us a second chance to convince them that our faith is real.

Think of the big picture. One song, one kind word, one smile, one good deed, one note, one email, one tip, one pat on the back, one hug, one [fill in the blank] can have a constructive impact far beyond the effort it takes to do it. Those eternal dividends cannot be measured by earthly standards.

Let’s be examples of Jesus, and let’s do what we can to show Him at every chance ... even early in the morning.—Chris Mizrany

Do all the good you can.
By all the means you can. In all the ways you can.
In all the places you can. At all the times you can.
To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.
—Attributed to John Wesley (1703–1791)

The point of your life is to point to Him. Whatever you are doing, God wants to be glorified, because this whole thing is His.—Francis Chan

Christianity is not the faith of the complacent, the comfortable, or the timid. It demands and creates heroic souls like Wesley, Wilberforce, Bonhoeffer, John Paul the Second, and Billy Graham. Each showed, in their own way, the relentless and powerful influence of the message of Jesus Christ.—Mitt Romney

I remember singing “This Little Light of Mine” to my kids when they were little. If you Google the song, you may find several versions, but the lyrics I sang to my kids consisted of these main phrases:

“This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine!”
“Hide it under a bushel? No, I’m gonna let it shine!”
“Won’t let Satan blow it out. I’m gonna let it shine!”

The song’s focal point is that as children of God, we are to shine the light of Jesus brightly for all to see. Jesus instructed a crowd gathered around Him, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden” (Matthew 5:14). “You” here refers to the Church, the collective body of all believers in Jesus, shining as a city on a hill, with the responsibility to illuminate the world with the transformative message of Christ’s love.

In ancient times, those traveling along dark roads didn’t have access to flashlights like we have today. Instead, they had to carry fire or oil-burning lamps, and when they came to areas where people lived, lantern flames from cities illuminated the night, attracting those traveling in the darkness. This was especially true of cities high upon hills, as they were more visible from a distance, burning brightly above trees, rocks, and other obstructions. As Jesus spoke to a crowd from atop a hill near Capernaum (Matthew 5:1), He taught His listeners, as well as future believers like us, to radiate the beauty of God’s love so the lost can see Him no matter what dark valley they may be journeying through.

Jesus further instructs us not to hide our lamp (the hope of salvation) under a basket but instead to place it on a stand for all to see (Matthew 5:15–16). Theologian Charles Spurgeon notes, “The object of our shining is not that men may see how good we are, nor even see us at all, but that they may see grace in us and God in us.”

Jesus Himself is the ultimate Light of the world, and as His followers, we shine for Him. This “shining” might sound a bit passive, but elsewhere in Scripture, the Apostle Paul urged Christians to actively “put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:12) and “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11) in the context of a battle against spiritual darkness.

So how can we as believers today actively fight for the light and illuminate the world with the transformative message of Christ’s love? Here’s one place to start: Every believer has a redemption story of God rescuing us from a path of darkness and sin. Instead of hiding our story or always waiting for unbelievers to “make the first move” to start a spiritual conversation, we are responsible and empowered by God’s Holy Spirit to share our redemption stories with the people around us. And when we join a body of believers in a local church and let our lives shine together, ... our light joins with others, and we become a guiding beacon for the lost to find Christ.

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Jesus, the ultimate Light of the world. Thank You for the gift of salvation found in Him. Give me a heart that desires to shine my story of Your transformative love so the lost can find You. As others see Your work in my life, may they see the radiance of Your glory and love for them. In Jesus’ name, amen.—Mary Boswell²

¹ Mark Stibbe, God’s Word for Every Need (Destiny Image, 2016).

² Mary Boswell, “A Light to the World,” https://app.first5.org/book/Light%20of%20the%20World/light_of_the_world_7

On Fire for Jesus

A compilation