Fan the Flames

1 Cor 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

As you may or may not know, we’ve initiated a new phase of ministry here at Truth. It would be more accurate, I suppose, to say we have refocused and returned to walk out the vision the Lord gave us ten years ago for Truth in Love World Ministries. After a hiatus to rear grandchildren, we are gearing back up and fanning the flames of the vision. It simmered far too long.

We served in various capacities in that time, this blog for instance is written and sent out because God laid it on my heart and allows me to use the gift of writing He gave in His service. There are days, times and/or seasons I do not ‘feel’ like getting up and sitting at the computer in the dark before dawn but I do because He has been so faithful to me. Sometimes I’ve felt like I have been nothing more than an ‘observer’ of my own life watching years march by as I waited for the time to reclaim the vision and answer that call. Sometimes it felt like disobedience on my part to sit back giving my time and energies to something else. Sometimes I wallowed around in my justifications to try to make myself feel better about the vision being on the back burner. That rarely made me feel better and it certainly didn’t fool God. I’ve had well meaning friends tell me my distress over not pursuing the vision was misguided because I was serving Him in other ways. Obedience delayed is disobedience…you just can’t ‘pretty’ that up.

Don’t settle for what the Lord has already accomplished through you. Yes, it’s always nice to be reminded of how God has already used you – but never lose sight of what He still wants to do with you in the future, and how He may want to build upon what He has already done in the past.

“Where there is no vision the people perish” [Proverbs 29:18].

Has the Lord given you a vision? Has He given you an assignment to accomplish? Now is the time to lay hold of that vision and continue to fulfill your calling. It may not happen as you planned or expected. Rarely can we even begin to see our puny plans in the shadow of the bigger plans of God. Our finite minds cannot grasp His ‘big picture’. 

In my mind’s eye, I’ve always pictured God’s plan as a massive woven tapestry that plays out the scenes of eternity. We are but a tiny piece of thread in that tapestry. I do not know what color my piece of thread is, much less how it fits in His big picture but I do know that I am in that picture because He chose me to be. If He took the time to create me and determine my place in His plan, who am I to turn my back on any vision He gave me to walk out?

So I encourage you, Friends, to renew your vision of His will for your life, for your future. Turn up the heat of the passion for that vision to a rolling boil. Do not be satisfied with lukewarm past actions or deeds but settle for nothing less than fire for the vision.

Revelations 3:15-16 says: I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Fan the flames of the vision the Lord laid on you and jump in!