Ah, summertime in Texas. That blazing fire we can feel from nearly 93
million miles away on our necks as we pull weeds from the garden, on our arms as we drive to visit family, and on our back after we’ve splashed in the lake until dinnertime. That heat is what makes watermelon sweet and glasses of iced tea sweat. It’s a time when I am extremely thankful. Thankful for air conditioning! I won’t ever complain about the weather, but that doesn’t mean I can’t avoid it. But today it got me thinking. I was outside for just a few minutes and I felt like I was melting. It reminded me of a speech I once heard. The speaker told us to imagine driving in a car with a chocolate bar, then to imagine parking and forgetting that we’d put the chocolate bar on the dash as we walk out into the hot Texas summer sun. Hours later, we return to the car and find a horrible mess of a surprise on our dash. What happened? It melted. What melted it? The heat. You’re wrong. Here’s the kicker: isn’t heat the same thing that solidifies bricks in the oven? Isn’t heat what turns a liquid egg into that perfect golden omelet? It’s not the heat that melts you, it’s what you’re made of. In the Texas heat I sometimes think about Matthew 3: 11. Before Jesus started his ministry, John the Baptist said, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me . . . will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Yeah, that’s why there are so many Christians in Texas. We get baptized with fire 3-4 months of the year. Or do we? As Jesus comes to purify us with fire, to melt our hearts and harden our convictions, do we feel a little heat and run back in the A/C where we are comfortable? When Jesus comes with fire to transform our state of what matters, do we hop in the pool and claim we’re baptizing for repentance (again). What are we afraid of? That we’ll burn? No, for the Christian who is willing to go through the fire, who accepts the discomfort of a little sweat, and is willing to let the world around them be subject to the same fire, they will not be burned. They will be transformed. So this summer, don’t be afraid of a little spiritual heat. Know who made you and what you’re made of. And know that he made you to be brought through the fire. And the best part is, you’re never ever ever alone. See you at the watering hole.
1 Comment
4/9/2020 01:25:15 am
My aunt used to live in Houston, Texas. I only heard a little about her because I was young back then. She would give us a lot of candies and chocolates back then, and I couldn't help but to be thankful to her. She also sent us photos of astronauts and spaceships making me think that Texas has been there home of those gigantic spaceships. That aunt I am referring to is now gone, that's why whenever I read a story about the beauty of Texas, I couldn't help but remember her.
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AuthorSean King is the Pastor for First Christian Church of Cisco. Archives
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