Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Most of the United States has been experiencing a cold like no other. Mother nature has really let her back door from the north stand open for a while. Even in Georgia, we are experiencing temps down in the 20s. Last night at church, someone had lit a fire in a fire pit. In between dinner and church service, many of us gathered around the fire to warm up and just enjoy the beauty of it. When it was time for church service, we walked away from the fire and almost immediately I was chilled by the cold air of the night. My brain was saying…go back to the fire and stay warm.

Our journey as Christians is no different. If we want to stay on fire for Christ, we MUST always stand next to His light and follow ever so closely behind Him in all that we do. The moment we step away from His narrow path of righteousness, we become chilled spiritually and are less useful for His service. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is calling out to us…”come back to the light of Christ”. The danger is when we ignore that voice and continue to walk further and further away. Eventually our spirit becomes frozen. Over time that light that once shined inside us is nothing but a burnt-out bulb…completely useless.

Hopefully you are being obedient and standing close to the fire of Christ. Some of you are walking away right now…adultery, stealing, drugs, addictions, selfish pursuits, greed, hate….just to name a few. If you are pursing these cold and ugly things, its time to circle the wagons and head back to the light of Christ. When you move back closer to Christ, your spirit becomes alive once again and it serves Him through your actions, thoughts and words. When you are away from the light, negative things come from your life and impact those around you. Step back to the warming righteousness of Christ…its better than anything this cold and dark world has to offer. And best of all, God will bless you for your obedience in Him! Stand next to the fire and keep your spirit warm and alive for Christ today! God bless!!!!!