The chill of a November evening makes a fire in the wood burner seem ideal. It is one of my small joys to sit next to the friendly heat and read for awhile. There is soothing comfort in a real, crackling fire that just cannot be captured with furnace heat.
Making a good fire is an art that took us a while to learn, for to get a steady fire established takes a lot of attention. We carefully space out a foundation of wood, preferably in a bed of ashes. Then we add kindling, followed by more wood. After the last layer of firewood, we put a match to the kindling underneath and watch with satisfaction as the fire catches and becomes a substantial blaze. The big iron woodburner starts to warm to the touch and soon heat is radiating into the room. This is going to be a good fire. One that, with care and regularly spaced refueling, will be a dependable source of heat.
There are things about the starting and nurturing of a fire that reminds me of our lives in the Truth. It can be likened to how we start in a blaze of enthusiasm and how that spiritual flame must be fed constantly with our Father’s word to keep it burning steadily. If ignored for long periods of time, it could start to wane. Then it would need desperate amounts of attention, large doses of fuel, fanning, and other measures to bring it back before it dies out. This is too great a risk to take! These crises must be avoided by diligent stewardship over the fires of our spiritual well being.
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip” (Heb. 2:1).
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One