After the Fire

March 4, 2004

The Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you. Deuteronomy 23:5

Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Mark 5:34

Consumed. Engulfed. Damaged. These words not only describe our home after the fire; they describe life after the fire. These words also describe a life of sin.

Sin can consume, engulf and damage. The results of sin can echo on and on in our lives, moving from generation to generation. Our human nature causes us to repeat patterns we know are not healthy. We hurt others. We hurt ourselves. Our hearts are consumed, engulfed and damaged by the ravages of sin.

The inside of our home is now down to its basic frame. The smoke seeped in behind the walls and above the ceilings. Every nook and cranny is now exposed and will be cleaned, sealed and finally rebuilt and restored.

Jesus wants to see the inside of our hearts down to the basic frame. Just as we can now begin to imagine our home becoming something new and transformed, Jesus sees our hearts transformed and imagines what we can be as children of God. Only He can clean every nook and cranny, expose every dark and smoky corner to the light and help us to begin anew.

He will turn our curse into a blessing because He loves us. Lies into love. Jealousy into joy. Promiscuity into peace. Pity into patience. Gossip into gentleness. Greed into goodness. Faithlessness into faithfulness. Shame into self-control. Bitterness into beauty. Anger into adoration. Destruction into devotion.

Dare to come out of the smoke and look up into the light. Step around the debris and step on to smooth ground. Move from the place where you are afraid to breathe and take a deep cleansing breath. Remove the soot from your eyes and gaze into His. Disconnect the faulty wiring and connect to the Son. Tear down the damaged walls and let Him rebuild from the inside out. He knows where you’ve been and He wants to lead you out. The first step is up to you,.

Jesus will guide you from the smoke-filled darkness and bring you to new life. Go and believe! You can be healed of all that harms you.

Loving God,

Your Son covers our sin with His blood. Only through Him can we find You. He is the only way out of the darkness. He is the only way out of the smoke-filled areas of our hearts. We yearn for His love that restores us to new life.  Let Him guide our lives.

In Jesus Holy name,

Amen