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Quench not the Spirit. - 1 Thessalonians 5:19
God is sometimes a wild man. God moves with fury. God speaks with thunder. God shakes the earth and heavens. God shines light so bright that it blinds the eyes. God whispers and there are earthquakes. God gently touches our hearts and those same hearts tremble with wonder and amazement.
God shows Himself in unquenchable fire and sets that fire ablaze within our souls.
Not everyone is comfortable with the raging fire of God in the midst of His people.
It figures. You cannot be neutral about fire. It is not a passive religious sentiment. We cannot settle down in it and sink into apathy.
The firs of God is out-of-control, destructive, and threatening from a human standpoint. But from God’s vantage point, it is controlled, regenerating, and life-affirming. Like a fire in the forest, it releases seeds for new trees and vegetation.
We are often frightened by it, because we don’t know where it is going. But if it is truly God’s fire, we don’t need to know. If we trust God, we can trust God's fire.
There have always been those who would quench the Spirit.
They, and sometimes we, want to harness got, tame God, and quiet God down.
We see God as wild, unpredictable, and impulsive. Yet, He is the one in our lives who leads us to God-ordained outcomes and produces the fruit of self-control.
We look at Spirit empowered people and often judge them as unbalanced. Yet it is the Holy Spirit who knocks away the false props of our lives so that we can find true balance in Him.
We are frequently embarrassed by the unbridled enthusiasm and unrestrained exuberance of new believers. Paul instructs us not the quench the Spirit in their lives. God is able to bring people to maturity and smooth over the rough edges of their character.
Rather than dousing their fire, we ought to be throwing on more kindling and long-burning logs.
Quench not the Spirit in your own life through sin, bitterness, self-interest, or neglect.
When God is at work, you will always feel slightly on edge. Learn to celebrate that and you will find yourself being weaned from false security and comfort onto the deeper nourishment of His peace that passes understanding.
Quench not the Spirit.
He is not safe, but He is good.
Aslan is on the move!
