FIRE

How big is this corona fire?  Is it a fire storm like some of the fires we've seen in California and Australia? In some ways it bigger because the spread is world wide.  In other ways it's so small we can't even see it and most of us haven't had to deal with it in our bodies either.  It isn't spreading in our neighborhood. 

A preacher lady once had a sermon topic, "Satan Is a Liar. Blow Out His Fire."  For an illustration she asked the congregation, "If someone suddenly yelled "FIRE!" what would you do?" And with a show of hands she found out that the majority would head for the nearest exit.  Then she pulled out a little candle that was burning from behind the pulpit and said, "If you saw this and I yelled "FIRE!" what would you do?  There was laughter in the crowd. Of course they wouldn't run. 

I feel like someone has yelled "FIRE!" for something that isn't worse than other influenza we've dealt with over the years and never shut down the entire world. Be that as it may, fire has a lot of advantages when controlled and used for specific purpose. 

Let's take fire for keeping warm and cooking.  We use "heat" every day for cooking, even if it isn't an open flame any more, except for barbecuing.  Fire will change the entire chemical composition of what it affects.  The one exception is water, but that's a different subject.  We love our fireplaces in our modern homes because we can still enjoy the warmth and appearance of flames, even if they are fake!  We still know that if we burn something in the fireplace, like a letter or document, it isn't going to be anything but ash when done.  That goes for cremation too. 

Fire is used for melting and shaping glass and I always admire artisans who learn how to work with it.  The end products, from bowls and goblets, to ornaments defy imagination in beauty and originality.  Here for sure, with glass blowers, no two are alike.  Fire used for hardening clay in ceramics is also part of an art and trade not done by many because of the expense of the kiln and the cost of the power. 

Fire for smelting is used to mix metals and alloys to produce a finished metal for specific use. Some metals need to be soft and pliable, others hard to withstand extreme weight and pressure in the end use.  Fire for precious metals is the process of purging and bringing the dross to the surface where it can be skimmed off so what remains is purer.

We are told that all our works will be tried by fire:   "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Corinthians 3:13  The list of works are represented by silver, gold, precious stones, wood, hay and stubble. 

I wonder if we aren't going through a fire right now to see what will remain that is really worth something to keep and do in the future.  Many who have never thought of anyone but themselves are reaching out and maybe upgrading their works from wood, hay and stubble, to gold, silver, and precious stones.  Some are putting a higher value on their family, the few material possessions they really need, and not missing all the other stuff.  We'll see if it's a lie and someone has yelled, "FIRE!" when it's just a little candle we can blow out!   

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