Refiner’s Fire . . .

Why does it make a difference to serve a living God? Many of our faith beliefs come from testimonies of the past. Some of those testimonies we haven’t seen in the present day accomplished as it was in the past. When was the last time you saw bread from heaven for your journey in the wilderness? Or, when was the last time you saw a blind man’s vision restored with mud cakes on his eyes?

I might quickly draw your attention to restaurants, modern medicine and advances in physical recovery from illness and injury. They can do miracles compared to the experiences of those who lived in the past. Penicillin, antibiotics, artificial limbs, insulin, surgeries, all save lives every day. Yet, they are not God. Who is to say that God did not inspire individuals to discovery some of these advances in medicine?

A living God is a source of living that cannot be exhausted. He is a God who cares for our needs when we are broken. A living God is present in the here and now, for us and with us as we encounter the tasks that lay before us. A living God seeks the well being of us and others, all of whom he created. A living God is capable of all things. A living God is aware of every aspect of our suffering or joy even more than we are. In other words, He knows what we cannot know.

A living God is still creating, still redeeming and still fulfilling the purpose of His kingdom and including us in His plan. This living God is worthy of our deepest devotion and concerned for our heart’s well being. Let God live through you so that others may know Him from having met you. Let His living nature have life through your hands, feet, words and heart. In this way you will know a living God not a memory of someone else’s past recollection.

Dr. Stanley Spence