So As By Fire

 Look how the wood is being overtaken with the flames.  It submits to the fire and becomes part of the whole picture.  In the midst of it's destruction it causes joy for the people around it.

 

Psalm 66

 ¹Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands:
 ²Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious.
 ³Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
 ⁴All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.
 ⁵Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
 ⁶He turned the sea into dry land: they went through the flood on foot: there did we rejoice in him.
 ⁷He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.
 ⁸O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:
 ⁹Which holdeth our soul in life, and suffereth not our feet to be moved.
 ¹⁰For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried.
 ¹¹Thou broughtest us into the net; thou laidst affliction upon our loins.

 ¹²Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place.
 ¹³I will go into thy house with burnt offerings: I will pay thee my vows,
 ¹⁴Which my lips have uttered, and my mouth hath spoken, when I was in trouble.
 ¹⁵I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings, with the incense of rams; I will offer bullocks with goats. Selah.
 ¹⁶Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
 ¹⁷I cried unto him with my mouth, and he was extolled with my tongue.
 ¹⁸If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
 ¹⁹But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.
 ²⁰Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.

I have been thinking about fire lately.  My brother was messing around with my camera over the summer and took these amazing pictures of our campfire.  I have found myself super intriqued  with the beauty of what he was able to capture.

I did a bible search of "so as by fire"  because that is what I've felt like lately.  I know most schools of thought would be that passage is for our works at the judgment seat, but I think application can be made in the present.  It is through the testing of fire that we can come out purified.  I feel as though I am stronger and more passionate about the mission God is calling us to here on earth.  But fire is hot and not pleasant when you stand too close, or burn yourself.  The last 9 months and even still now have been very hot.   We are still going through the fire in our finances, family, ministry etc...  But just like the beauty in the picture, there is beauty in the trial and we cannot lose sight of the beauty when our emotions seem to take over.