What is your why? This question gets asked a lot when goal-setting. Your why is supposed to give you the passion and determination needed to get started and keep going. My grandmother lived to be a few months shy of 100 years old, so my why for working out is to remain active and independent for the rest of my life. My reason for becoming a personal trainer is a bit different. Because I found strength in the gym I didn’t know that I had, I want to help others find their strength as well. I was working on goal setting for other areas of my life when I came across a reason for why Jesus came,
“I came to cast fire on the earth, and would that it were already kindled!” (Luke 12:49 ESV)
Though I know for a fact that I’ve read it before, for some reason it shook me. Maybe because I often think of the song lyrics written by Rick Founds ,
“You came from Heaven to earth to show the way. From the earth to the cross, My debt to pay. From the cross to the grave, From the grave to the sky; Lord, I lift Your name on high.”
It’s clear, concise, and powerful to sing full-throated and whole-hearted. And yet Jesus said that He came to cast fire on the earth. If we stop to think about what fire can do, it makes sense—but it is no less jarring to the senses. His fire purifies us, it warms us, and it fills us with passion to do His will.
Fire changes whatever it touches.
Jesus’ presence burns away what doesn’t belong, refines what is precious, and ignites what has grown cold. Sometimes that process is comforting, like sitting beside a fireplace wrapped in a sweater, sipping hot chocolate on a cold night. Other times it feels more like standing before a blazing hot refiner’s furnace, where impurities rise to the surface and are removed.
No wonder Jesus longed for that fire to already be kindled. He came to awaken lives to the kingdom of God, setting hearts set ablaze with love, holiness, truth, and compassion.
It made me ask myself “What are other reasons Jesus came, and how should that shape the way I live?
The beautiful thing about pondering God’s fire is realizing that it never consumes us the way worldly fires do. Instead, it seeks to consume everything that keeps us from becoming who He created us to be.
Reflection Questions:
What “why” has been the driving force in my life lately?
In what areas is Jesus inviting me to embrace His refining fire?
How can I carry the warmth and light of Christ into the lives of those around me today?
*For those of you who prayer walk, choose one of these questions to ponder as you walk. Pray about what the Holy Spirit reveals to you. For your copy of this week’s screensaver, click here. And to access all of my YouVersion Bible App devotional plans, click here.