"Near the Flame"

The firelight gleams and flutters,

Casting shadows ‘gainst the shutters,

And something in me mutters,

This is like the fireside,

Where as a kid I sat with my kin,

Near the hearth a child, way back when,

The memories bring a wide grin,

And in my heart a rising tide,

Of those times we sat together,

And that wintry, stormy weather,

Tied us like a tether,

To the fire burning bright.

We didn’t have a cell phone,

We didn’t have the set on,

But, my the seeds that were sown,

I can see it yet tonight.

Mamma’s humming of a church tune,

Granny’s laughter from the next room,

Dad digging with a big spoon,

In ice cream and apple pie.

Just glad somehow to be there,

And glad the time we could share,

Never thought of it as too rare,

Or asked the question why.

We had music and good stories,

Covered lots of territories,

Of many fails and glories,

As we talked of things we knew.

Dad would often say to listen,

As he read his face would glisten,

My love of verse to christen,

As the cold wind outside blew.

All but one has passed to glory,

He and I still share the story,

Of that old oratory,

And what it meant to us.

I know we can’t go back now,

But still remember somehow,

I’ve said before and I vow,

I’ll hold it close, I must.

God says fan the fire,

Of spiritual desire,

He’ll never let us tire,

If we stay close to the flame.

No fear can steal the witness,

The Spirit gives us fitness,

He leaves the devil witless,

As we live for Jesus’ fame.

“This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self-discipline.” (2 Timothy 1:6-7, NLT)

Paul compares Timothy’s spiritual gift to a flame inside of him that needs to be fanned. What does this mean? The Spirit is often compared to flame, wind and water in the Bible. Though He is a person, He eternally exists as the third person of the Trinity and that part of God that interacts in this time-space dimension. Fanning the flame simply means allowing the Holy Spirit to be the strongest influence in our lives. When this happens, all fear and timidity are diminished and we are energized with love, power and self-discipline. These characteristics will manifest when the Spirit is strong in and through us. Fan the flame!

Lord, help us to let the flame of Your Spirit burn brightly through us, in Jesus’ name.

Photo by Kirstie Lambert, used by permission. Thanks, Kirstie, and God bless you.