March 24, 2003 Monday
Are you Burning? (See Luke 24:13-32)

"Did not our heart burn, within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?" - Luke 24:32

Imagine walking side by side with Jesus Christ Himself.....and not even realizing His very presence at your side.....Imagine hearing with your own ears the Living Word Himself speak softly to you....and not even recognizing His voice.....Imagine the "fire of His jealousy" (see Zephania 1:18) burning in your heart.....and not even realizing who it was that was kindling the fire. Before His ascension Jesus left us with an amazing truth, "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 18:20) We pierce our Lord so often because He purposely burns our hearts with His truths and convictions and we fail to even recognize them. The "fire of His jealousy", that He has for each of us, is the very reason why He stands by us "always, even unto the end of the world." We see God in the Old Testament standing by His own people with an incredible attitude of long-suffering and patience, even as they quenched the burning fire of His very presence and failed to recognize and acknowledge Him as LORD of their lives. The result was that God eventually sent His own people into captivity.....He allowed them to be carried away as prisoners of war.....bringing them lower than they could ever possibly imagine in order to see the "fire of His jealousy" and to know that He wanted to be the priority in their hearts and lives; and He will do the same to us today. Can you feel Him burning in your heart? If not, the Lord has already allowed you to be carried away into captivity in order to show you the "fire of His jealousy" that He has for you. Allow any sin that has come between you and Him to be annihilated and your heart will burn for Him again.