Monday Morning Manna: The Fire is Still Burning

We once had a beautiful long-haired dachshund. Even in her later years, all I had to do was say the word, “Go” and she would jump from wherever she was sitting and run to the nearest door. Funny how I have become like that dog. I know I need to say “no” occasionally, but every time someone sends me an invitation to speak, I jump to the occasion. I’m not sure how old Jeremiah was when he wrote that God’s word, “was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones” (Jeremiah 20:9) and perhaps he was even older when he wrote of God, “From above He has sent fire into my bones” (Lamentations 1:13). I just can’t say “no.” Even when I want to decline, something inside of me says, “yes.” I know what it is – that “fire in my bones.” It is that calling I received from God as a teen-ager. It’s still active. God has not yet decided to retire that call, nor am I ready for Him to do so. Who would want to keep living after God was finished with them? British/American author, motivational speaker and marketing consultant. Simon O. Sinek asked, “What good is having a belly if there’s no fire in it”? I like that. Belly-up! The fire is still burning. How about you?

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.