For our God is also a consuming fire.

These simple words someone said in a meeting are reverberating in my being. They don't seem too deep, but every day they seem to describe my experience. This new one was sharing a testimony of speaking to someone about the Lord and said, "All you do is receive the Lord Jesus one day, and things just start happening." This is the story of my life.

One day I received the Lord, and after that—although not immediately—strange things began to happen in my life. Things I can't ignore or get away from when they come up.

Today I read this verse, "For our God is also a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29). And for some reason, it all makes sense. I can't get away from Him. He's in me, and He won't let me go. When He moves in my life, He exposes, burns and consumes. Everything that isn't God Himself must go. But as He consumes, He also supplies. He really does supply Himself to me, and I gain more of His very self. I learn Him more. I treasure Him more. The Christ who is all-inclusive becomes my everything, more and more. I love Him!!

I was going to list more verses I enjoyed from this chapter, Hebrews 12, but I decided it was all too good to pick a few verses and leave others out. Please read this chapter! Again!

Ok, just a few verses with a footnote:

12:15 Looking carefully lest anyone fall away from the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and through this many be defiled;
12:16 Lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one meal gave up his own birthright.
12:17 For you know that also afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected; for he found no place for repentance, even though he sought it with tears.

Footnote 16-1