The dangerous joy of a Campfire!

 

Someone asked me if I miss traveling and living in our fifth wheel. The answer is both yes and no. I love what we are doing right now because I feel God has called us to be right where we are. There is nothing more satisfying than obeying God's will in your life. But, there is another side that really misses the adventure of being on the road, traveling from campground to campground. And I also miss the joy of a campfire. (I know that seems like such a simple thing!) There is something about a campfire that draws people to it, me included. I can't just sit there watching it; I have to play with it, poke it, and stir it to keep it burning. It is not always the smartest thing to do!

I thought about this today as I was reading Zechariah 3:

"The angel showed me Jeshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord. The Accuser, Satan, was there at the angel's right hand, making accusations against Jeshua. And the Lord said to Satan, 'I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.'" (Zechariah 3:1,2)

The burning stick is really like a firebrand or "poker" used to stir the fire. Part of the joy of stirring the fire is playing with the danger. The fire is hot and can easily burn us. By poking it we get a sense of power over the fire, like we can control it. We never let our kids or grandkids play in the fire because they might get hurt. We "snatch them" from the danger before they get hurt. God did the same thing with Jeshua. He snatched him from the fire like a burning stick, before he was consumed. 

We often play with fire when we are in the midst of sin. Sometimes that sin damages us even when we don't realize it. We get dirty from the ash and our clothes smell like smoke. We get so enamored with playing in the fire, we don't see the damage it is causing. Satan tells God, we are too far gone and there is no hope for us. He accuses us of being hopelessly consumed in the fire. But, God loves those who claim to be his children and rejects Satan's accusations against us. He never gives up hope in us, never. 

I love the next verses of this scripture:

"Jeshua's clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, 'Take off his filthy clothes.' And turning to Jeshua he said, 'See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.'" (Zechariah 3:3,4)

His clothes were dirty because he was playing with the fire. They were singed and smelled like smoke. Sin does that to us. But, after God rescues us, he gives us clean clothes so that the sin is completely removed from our lives. We PRAISE GOD for those new clothes and being washed clean!

The presence of Jesus on the cross exchanged his clean clothes for our dirty clothes. He took our sins and allowed us to be presented as completely pure. He rebuked Satan's accusations and let us stand before God in purity. PRAISE GOD. Jeshua, a devoted man of God, was playing in the fire. He was sinful just like the rest of us. But, because he had committed himself to the Lord, he was rescued from the fires of sin. The Lord watches over his children and I am thankful for his amazing mercy, grace, and love. He snatches me from the fires of sin so that I can spend eternity with him in GLORY!