So Hearts May Burn
A city on a hill.
A light to the world.
Salt of the earth.
This is what we are called to be. It should be our mission, our drive and our passion. How can I pull another from the fires of Hell? Where do I need to go to seek and save the lost? Who needs the hope of the gospel today?
Do these questions ever cross your mind?
If not, they should.
I will be honest. They are not at the forefront of my mind most days, but I am praying to get better and stay alert to the needs around me. As God’s vessels and ambassadors on Earth, we should be watching for every opportunity to share the love of Jesus with others.
How many broken souls do you pass on your way to work each day? I dare say it’s hundreds. Have you ever stopped to look into a stranger’s face and wonder what burdens they are carrying? I have. It can be overwhelming at times.
I see worry etched on faces, hopelessness slowing their pace or fatigue from a long, hard day. I will ask the Lord, “Do they know You? How can I be a light?”
You may be surprised at how many people would soak up a simple smile or kind word, like a dry sponge longing for a cool drink. I feel sometimes we can become so intimidated at the thought of sharing Christ with others, because we are not sure what to do or say, that we decide it’s just easier to get in, get out, keep our head down and not make eye contact.
We were made for so much more!
We are needed for so much more!
I read a book recently, that has challenged me in this arena of sharing the love of Christ with others and being intentional with those around me. The paths that cross ours is never just a coincidence, so the question looms- What do we do with the intersection?
Theo of Golden - I highly recommend you picking it up. I will not share the story, as I do not want to be like someone who tells you the ending of a movie before you’ve had the chance to see it. So, no fears of spoilers here.
I will highlight one particular part that caught my attention and caused me great contemplation for many days afterward. (And even still as I write this) The author, through one of the characters, recalls the story in the gospel of Luke, of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus right after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ Jesus.
I have read through the scripture passage multiple times, so I was very familiar with the story. What intrigued me so, was the way in which Allen Levi (author) used this story. We read in Luke 24:13-35 of how the two men are in deep conversation regarding the events that had just unfolded regarding the death, burial and now supposed resurrection of Jesus. They did not know what to make of it all.
While in deep discussion, they are met on the road by a stranger, at least, they thought it was a stranger. It was actually Christ in the flesh, but they did not recognize him. And so, the Lord began unveiling the scriptures to them as they continued on their journey, showing them how the prophets of old foretold of the things they had just witnessed.
Once they arrived at Emmaus, they earnestly requested the man to stay and dine with them. He accepted their invitation. He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. At this instant, the disciples eyes were open to the truth and they knew it was their risen Savior before them. Suddenly, Jesus disappeared right before their eyes.
They looked at one another in amazement, and almost talking at once they asked, “Did our hearts not burn within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us?”
When you encounter the presence of God, you will feel it. There will be a stirring within you that sets you ablaze and leaves you with a longing and hunger for more.
I would now like to give you an excerpt from Theo of Golden.
“And this is what the pair subsequently recalled when they spoke of their seven-mile walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus. Our hearts burned within us. Their hearts burned within them.” Father Lundy allowed the phrase to linger in silence for a few seconds before he resumed.
“We all walk roads of various descriptions in life. The long and winding road. The road to ruin. Easy Street. The road less traveled. Along the way, there are questions, there is news, there are concerns and fears and uncertainties that furrow our brows, trouble our souls and break our hearts. Death terrifies many of us.”
“But God, in His sublime goodness, has always sent others, mysterious others, to walk with us - prophets, preachers, friends, teachers, artists, storytellers, wives and husbands, children, songbirds and rivers, even hardship and loss - to help us see clearly. They are ones who make our hearts burn within us, who call us out of our indifference, our lethargy, our death and defeat. They call us to be fully alive, or at least more alive than we were before we met them.”
Can someone around you say this about you? That when you are near them, their heart burns because of what you carry within you?
Do you make them feel more alive than before they met you?
This passage has stuck with me for months. I roll it over in my mind and wonder if my life is making other’s better? Do I live the gospel message in such a way, that it causes other’s hearts to burn and long for what I have? Long for more of Jesus?
Let this be our desire as we go about our day to day. May it be our petition to heaven, that we could effect change in our families, neighborhoods and work places.
If we kindle just one spark in someone else, who then ignites a flame in the next person, which then continues to spread and grow- we would see a revival the likes of which history has never known.
I feel it’s time to burn this thing down Church!
“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the sam way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)