Fire.

Jude 1 reads:

"It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. But you, beloved, build yourselves up in your most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit; keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. And have mercy on the those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh."

I read this two nights ago, in my closet, on the floor. Every now and then, I read something, see something, hear something, that so resonates with me. It was as if I was reading this, and it was speaking to my identity, to the deepest part of my soul. I read this two nights ago, and the LORD planted a thought in my mind; a seed that has already begun to take root. The thought was this:

In order to snatch others out of the fire, I must be close to the fire.

I'm not sure how this will manifest in my life, but I am praying the my King will take me there. Jesus, my leader, was not only close to the fire, but willing went into the fire. *Keep in mind that fire is far from comfortable. He willingly endured persecution for me, for you. He willingly died because He was so intent on telling others of the kingdom of God.

I want to be like Jesus. I want to be His follower; not just in life, but death as well. The thought of being near the fire is enough to scare me. The thought of going in the fire is too much for me to process... but I pray that my King will take me there, I pray that in my lifetime I will be placed by the fire, and, if He calls me, in the fire. I pray that His MOST HOLY Spirit would be alive in me, and strong in me -- strong enough to pull others from the licking flames. I pray that He would have His way in my life, and that my mouth would be filled with the joyous news of His kingdom. How great is our God?