The night was bitterly cold, and so a huge fire was built. Once the fire got started, huge old logs were placed on the fire. These logs gave off a wonderful heat for many hours. However, when the fire became weaker, it was decided that it would be easier to just place branches on the fire instead of heavy longs. The branches quickly ignited, but somehow the heat was not as effective as before. Small twigs were quickly thrown on top of the fire, but soon everything had turned to ash. Only the original logs had a bit of warmth left in them - but not enough warmth to keep the fire going.

Hear the Parable of the Fire:
The fire is the Word of God. The large old logs are the men, now older, who were converted out of the world and denominationalism. To be converted, they had to wrestle with the Word of God, finally allowing it to ignite a strong faith in their hearts. The banches are their children. Their children seemed so much easier to convert than outsiders. But they were never taught to grapple with the Word of God. Thus their faith was weaker, and many fell away. The twigs are the grandchildren of the old men. Following the example of their weak parents, their faith is even shorter-lived. The grandchildren start fornicating at younger and younger ages. The old men still attend services, but their love for the truth and their excitement about following Christ has lost its glow. They preach the same lessons over and over, and sing the same songs slower and slower. The bit of fire that is left in them has almost no effect on their families or the community.

How can we turn things around? How can we re-ignite the fire? There is only one way. But His word was in my heart like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, and I could not. - Jeremiah 20:9
Living to be an old man helped King David to witness that God will bless those who serve Him. I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread. - Psalm 37:25
Myself being blessed with 67 years, I, like many others, can indeed by experience confirm the truth that God does not forsake the righteous. I can also by experience confirm the truth that Jeremiah wrote about. If you study the Word of God - truly study it and grapple with it to get the understanding of it, God will bless you with the power to teach it to those around you. You will not be able to hold it inside! You will become a better teacher and preacher. It does not matter if you are a smouldering log, or a branch or twig that has turned to ash. If you get sincerely serious about studying, if you wrestle with God and His word with the same intensity that Jacob wrestled with the Angel, then you will also reap the blessing of God, Gen. 32:24-30. You will be so on fire with the word of God that you will teach it diligently to your children, your grandchildren, ad your neighbours. You will talk of the Lord's commands when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up, Deuteronomy 6:7. When your children or grandchildren grow up and begin to grapple with the issues of life, when they ask you, "What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the Lord our God has commanded you?" Then you will be able to show them that the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, the fear of the Lord our God, for our good always, Deuteronomy 6:20, 24.

With such commitment, even when you are old, your fire will still be strong, 2 Cor.4:16. I am thankful to know some great old logs here in S. Africa and Zimbabwe. I even know a brother in America who is 94 years old and still preaching full time! To God be the glory!

Les Maydell, July 2007 P.O. Box 2744, Nylstroom 0510, South Africa.