Fiery Love

I couldn’t let the week go by without speaking about God’s love for humanity.  It often gets overlooked with the busyness of the holidays.  Yes the baby Jesus in a manger is of great significance in that God provided a means of salvation through His Son for Humankind, but God’s plan doesn’t begin and end there at the manger.

The story is about a Fiery Love that was present before the time of creation.  God had a plan (a strategy) which would shape the events of the world.  And the beauty of it was that God Himself had orchestrated the plan, not us.  God has always been passionate about Humanity even from the beginning.  He created us and endowed us with the ability to trust Him (that is called faith).   Faith is a free gift that God gave us so we could begin to connect with His Fiery Love for us. 

God wanted perfection for us, so in the beginning He placed Humankind in an abundant garden which was prefect; it was self-sustained by a humid mist with rivers flowing through it.  God loves Humankind so much and He demonstrated His desire to meet our every need!  In that Fiery Love God gave us choices from which to draw our nourishment (both naturally and spiritually) and these choices were fully open to us. We could choose almost anything in our human experience except one thing, and that one thing we were forbidden to do, which was choosing to doubt God’s Fiery Love for us.  (that is called sin)

When Satan tricked and deceived Humankind (Adam) consciously decided to doubt God’s love, a separation was created (a breech) between God and Man which needed to be restored.  God knew that because of this breech the only way He could now interact with Human beings was through an intermediary who had to bridge the gap between man and God because man had forfeited his God-given authority, and his right to rule over the earth was handed over to the deceiver (Satan).  God also knew that if He were to become a man that He Himself could become that intermediary and mend the breech between Himself and man, as a man.

Poem:  Revive Me, O' Lord by Deborah Ann (Click the pic above)

God began foretelling what His plan was and what He was going to do for Mankind through the prophets, and that the Christ (Emmanuel, Eloah, the Son of God) was going to be born.  It wasn’t wishful hoping on God’s part, it was set in time, it was going to happen.  God chose a moment in time above all time to reveal Himself to Mankind through a virgin.  God chose the impossible to reveal the possible.  God Himself impregnated this virgin and she would bear the offspring of God.  Jesus was born fully God and fully man. 

The wise men from the East recognized that something wonderful had happened by signs which appeared in the heavens and they followed a star which led them to the Christ child.  These wise men brought three specific gifts which were mentioned in scripture that prophesied the fate of the new King.

1.)    Gold – Which symbolized the riches of a King which had been born. One of the most precious and costly commodities of the day.  Jesus was to be the King of the Jews and to all of mankind.

2.)    Frankincense – Which is an aromatic resin or perfume which was used in the worship of God by the Jews.  It was offered in the Jewish temple worship along with the meal-offering (or show-bread) as a symbol for the Divine name of God and as an emblem of prayer.  (note - Jesus became our show-bread and the Frankincense indicates His Divinity).  The Frankincense indicates His High Priestly position before God.

3.)    Myrrh – Was an embalming resin used in Egypt to prepare the dead for burial.  It also is an aromatic resin which is used in worship to God.  Myrrh indicates that the Christ Child was destined to die as a sacrifice for humanity.

 These wise men knew that the stars foretold that a King would be born, and that this King would be like none other, so they worshiped Him.

The scriptures also tells us that shepherds were watching their flocks at night, and Angels appeared to them and began declaring their praises to God before them.  Shepherds were among the most lowly in the social order of the Jewish culture. God chose to reveal the news of the birth of His own precious Son first to shepherds.

This declaration from the angels was quite unique and specific, when they exclaimed “Glory to El Elyon (The Most High God), and on earth peace on whom He rests His favor”. The shepherds were terrified, but what an honor to be the first to hear the good news that a savior had been born.  What could a shepherd do with that kind of information?
In response to that question, David who was a lowly shepherd boy chosen by God (and anointed by Samuel the prophet) became the King of Israel.  God tends to use little beginnings to reveal His might and glory in a big way.

Again, God’s Fiery Love was proclaimed and demonstrated to humanity through shepherds, even to those who are on the most humble and lowest rungs of the social order.  Because God does not look at the social order of men, but looks at the heart.

This Child would become the redemption for all of humanity.  That is the depth of God’s fiery love for us, that God would become a man and bridge the gap between us and Him, and restore to us the ability to once again relieve our doubts and to have faith to fully trust Him once again.  But this time He was victorious over the doubts and deception of Satan and defeated Him once and for all time!

Jesus didn’t die just to relieve our doubts and take us to heaven. He died to restore us to our rightful place (position) with God as it was in the beginning before Satan deceived and robbed Mankind of his mantle.   We can now receive the gift of the person of Christ Jesus into our lives to live within us and restore us to our original standing before God.  As we stand in Him and declare victory over the enemy of our souls for he is a defeated foe as we are IN Christ, because of Jesus' victory over him.  

We are called to die to ourselves (our selfish desires) that we may receive the life of Christ, it is this divine romance that God has spoken of since the beginning of recorded history, that God takes pleasure in His people, and always draws us closer to Him if we only respond to Him.

The Fiery Love of God is calling out to you and is speaking to you of His love for you this Christmas as well as each day forward from today.  

I pray you receive God's Fiery love, and His mercy for you in abundance.

Blessings to you

Stephen Barnett

God is good all the time―all the time God is good!
Joyeux noel!   Joyous Christmas!

Fiery Love

Words and Music by Samuel Lane & Dan Wheeldon

Come, search my heart, make me Yours

Take, all that I am, every thought

Jesus, be my song, be my love

Wake, me from my sleep, faithful one

      Chorus:

All my life for You, every single thing

All my love for You, every hope and dream

Lift me from my grave, and hold me up  

With hands that hold the stars, with fiery love

Holy Spirit come, and light me up

With hands that hold my heart, with fiery love

Lord, lay me down, at Your feet

For I, have sown in tears, and I'll wash them clean

CCLI Number: 6441191 
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