alittlecandle

Smoke is merely the indication of a larger problem.

Have you ever heard the saying “where there is smoke there is fire”? Have you ever considered what that saying even means? Allow me to explain.  The saying basically means that if you see things that are suggestive of something else happening then the something else is likely already occurring. The saying means that smoke is a warning sign of a larger problem. If that seems a little obscure consider this example. Maybe an employer has noticed that the cash till has been short a couple times over the last month. The cash shortage is the smoke of the larger problem/fire that one of his employees is stealing from him or her.

Everywhere I look in the world all I see is smoke. For me what is more concerning than the smoke that I see is everyone’s indifference to the smoke. So many people are choking and gagging on it all their lives but they don’t even realize it. The entire world is so overwhelmed by smoke that an astronomical majority of us are blinded by it and because it’s all we’ve ever seen we don’t even know we’re blind… and the few times we do notice it we usually choose to ignore it.

So what is the smoke you might be wondering? Smoke is people starving all over the world. Smoke is families being broken apart. Smoke is wars being fought in many countries. Smoke is people losing their jobs and struggling financially. Smoke is someone having more money than they know what to do with. Smoke is drunkenness, fighting and promiscuity in bars on the weekend. Smoke is diseases and sickness. Smoke is the destruction of our planet. Smoke is people not having a place to sleep at night. Smoke is people being violent with each other. Smoke is our jails being filled to capacity. Smoke is someone being lonely. Smoke is unkind words spoken to someone. Smoke is two people in traffic at rush hour succumbing to road rage. Smoke is a kid in trouble because they didn’t listen to their parents. Smoke is a kid in trouble because their parents aren’t engaged in their life. Smoke is someone turning to a life of drugs. Smoke is a married person sleeping with someone who is not their spouse. Smoke is gossip or spreading rumours about someone… smoke is everything that is ugly in our lives and on our planet that diminishes our happiness and quality of life. Smoke is ugly, unnatural and terrible for us. So why do we live in it and pretend like it’s not there?

However, like I stated above smoke is only a sign of the source of the real problem. There is a fire raging in our world that can’t be put out. So what is the fire then? Idolatry, cursing, hatred, adultery, disrespect, lying, jealousy, bitterness, apathy, greed, violence, promiscuity, drunkenness, gossip, murder, fighting… fire is honestly best summed up as sin. Uh-oh, I used “the s-word”. Sin is a word that makes a lot of people uncomfortable I know, but keep reading, this will end well. What does fire do? It destroys and burns down and consumes. What does sin do? It destroys and burns down and consumes our lives.

The words of the wise heard in quiet are better than the shouting of a ruler among fools. Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good. Ecclesiastes 9:17-18

There is a fire burning. I doubt anyone that reads this can honestly say that they are guiltless of all the above mentioned transgressions. That is why God in His mercy and love has sent us a fire extinguisher. If this post is about anything it is mostly about putting out the fire. All of Christ’s teachings if applied in all of our individual lives would kill the fire. But because people are prideful and stubborn and want to go their own way it will never happen. That is why God sent Christ. He showed us how life is supposed to be done and those of us that chose that path will be spared from an eternity of fire.

I am hoping this isn’t coming across as total nonsense. The basic premise is that God wants nothing but good things for all of us. We have chosen and made the world this way. Even if you think you haven’t contributed to the problems it’s the indifference of millions and millions of people that allow things to keep going the way they are. Many people live defeated thinking they can’t make a difference and that someone else needs to do something. Well I have news for you who is reading this right now. To every one on the planet YOU are a someone else.

So take a hold of Christ who is the fire extinguisher and start learning what he taught and start putting out fires in your life. It’s really easy, love God with all your being and love your neighbour as yourself. That means love everyone who is not you as if they were you. For example when someone is hungry and asks you for help, don’t ignore the, when you’re hungry you make sure you eat… so if a hungry person needs your help, feed them! That is one basic example. Another could be stop racing in traffic and let people in. If you can’t make a turn you appreciate the courtesy of someone waving you in. Just work to be others focused. Aside from those basic commands follows a myriad of others which if obeyed would see all other issues disappear but at the heart of all of them is love others. I will give examples if asked in the comments section.

My point here is to grab a hold of Christ and put out the fires in your life and in the lives of others… when you start doing this the smoke will go away too. It is in this kind of living that the promise of God is rooted. I have a tattoo on my left shoulder that contains three verses of scripture which all pertain to perseverance. One of them is;

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

Life is a test that needs to be endured but God does not expect you to do it alone. Christ is there, He cares about you and wants you to live well and ultimately for you to find your permanent home in Heaven. This life is just the “coming attractions” portion before the main event. What I will share to sum this up is my personal revelation that made Christ real to me. When I learned what Christ was about and what he taught I realized the following;

Everything in my life that has caused me pain, suffering or anguish in anyway was the result of something that I had done that was contrary to what Christ taught or was the result of someone else doing something that affected me that was contrary to what Christ taught.

God’s will is perfect and the truth is found in it. It’s up to us to live by it. The best gift we have from God is free will. Otherwise we’d just be a bunch of wind-up robots here for his amusement. The relationship He desires to have with us is so much larger and more beautiful than something like that. It’s up to you. Put out the fires you can, get rid of the smoke and I’m confident you will see that.