By Stanley Scism
Text: Luke 11:33-36
Song: (by W.C. Parkey) "Lord, set me afire, make me a flame for Thee. Millions are lost, but You paid the cost that they all might be free. Lord, I am yearning – set me a-burning. Let me shine out for Jesus’ Name. This my desire: set me afire, make me a flame."
A boy grew up in a poor family, a place later made famous by Lassie and James Herriot. Thanks to a scholarship, this boy could attend Oxford University. An outstanding student, he quit before getting his masters degree because he didn’t want temptation by the world’s pride. He went back to Yorkshire, then made an hermit’s habit from his dad’s raincoat and ran away from home to a nearby church to pray through the night as preparation to be a hermit. There, he was so wrapped up and rapt in deep prayer that other people present were amazed. Later he preached in that church and started his ministry.
He traveled from town to town, village to village, sometimes in a monastery, sometimes in a nunnery. He wrote with passion and energy – his most famous book, Fire of Love. For two hundred years, he was St. Richard the Hermit and many people treasured his writings.
He said: 'I can’t tell you how surprised I was the first time I felt my heart begin to warm – real warmth, too, not imaginary, and felt as if it were actually on fire. I was astonished at the way the heat surged up and how this new sensation brought great and unexpected comfort. I had to keep feeling my breast and there was no physical reason for it. Once I realized it came entirely from within, had no cause material or sinful, but was my Maker’s gift, I was absolutely delighted, and wanted my love to be even greater. And this longing was all the more urgent because of the delightful effect and the interior sweetness which this spiritual flame fed into my soul.' He’d not known humans could feel this sweet warmth of devotion. People aflame loving Christ hate the world. 'If we put our finger near a fire, we feel the heat; a soul on fire with love feels, I say, a genuine warmth…depends on our particular capacity. What mortal could survive that heat at its peak – as we can know it, even here – if it persisted? We must inevitably wilt before the vastness and sweetness of love so intense and heat so indescribable yet must long eagerly for just this to happen: to breathe our soul out, with all its superb endowment of mind, in this honeyed flame, and, quit of this world, be held in thrall with those who sing their Maker’s praise.' Some carnal, sordid things oppose love and tempt peace – physical needs and human lusts try to douse the flame burning for Jesus. They can’t take us away, but sometimes our love grows cold. Then, though we stay faithful, we miss sensing God’s presence. When that happens, let’s recapture inner fire in our whole being, physical and Spiritual.
We obviously won’t feel that love when we’re asleep, but we can wake and kindle it again in prayer. When we busy ourselves with arrangements, on the go, lounging around, or wrapped up in arguments and discussion, revival fires burn low. Then we must put away all external things, stand real in our Savior’s presence, and live in his love, wound in his warmth.
Richard Rolle wrote ‘for the attention, not of the philosophers and sages of this world, not of the great theologians bogged down in their interminable questionings, but of the single and unlearned who seek rather to love God than to amass knowledge, since God is known only by what we do and how we love,’ as Jesus said Himself, "by this shall all men know you are My disciples."
‘While matters contained in such questionings are the most demanding of all intellectually, they are much less important when Christ’s love is under consideration.’ Anyway, we can’t understand them, so Richard wrote not ‘for the experts unless they have forgotten and put behind them all those things that belong to the world; unless now they are eager to surrender to a longing for God. To achieve this, however, they must, first, fly from every worldly honor; they must hate all vainglory and the parade of knowledge.’ When, ‘conditioned by great poverty, through prayer and meditation they can devote themselves to the love of God. It will not surprise if then an inner spark of the uncreated charity should appear to them and prepare their hearts for the fire which consumes everything that is dark and raises them to that pitch of ardor which is so lovely and so pleasant.’ Then will they pass beyond the things of time and sit enthroned in infinite peace. The more learned they are, the more ability they naturally have for loving, always provided of course that they do not esteem themselves highly nor rejoice in being highly esteemed by others… because I would stir by these means every person to God, and because I try to make plain the ardent nature of love and how it is supernatural, I select for this book the title Fire of Love.’
We all know God’s eternal love won’t fill us or heaven’s oil anoint us unless we truly turn to God and from the world. If we control our hearts and minds, we’ll love what we should. We of course love our families and friends, but must love Christ above this as much as the heavens are high over the earth. Many of the world’s ‘good’ things pervert rather than protect. We must wither physical lust and hate wickedness. We must only necessarily deal with mundane matters.
People eager to get rich don’t know who’ll get it, or what they’ll do with it, after they die. Some say they’ve already seen heaven in a vision, and do a good job faking it. ‘This graceless presumption… will bring about their downfall, for their love of earthly treasure is unlimited. Also, they’ll fall from God’s sweet love. People lusting after worldly splendor catch a very different, very separate fire. ‘Such people become like what they love, for they take their tone from the greed of their day and age. Because they will not give up their old ways, they come to prefer life’s specious emptiness to happiness’ warmth. They exchange the glorious, incorruptible charity for beauty’s fleeting lust. This happens because a counterfeit ‘fire of love’ blinds them and devastates virtue at his its source and vice in its growth.
Then, on the other hand, some people think, because they become monks and forbear marriage, or because they become teetotalers and forbear drink, that they earn salvation, and they become proud of their self-righteousness. This is wrong and silly – what’s dumber than denouncing sin, but living by greed? There’s nothing worse than the love of money (I Timothy 6:10), for it means people are obsessed by something temporal and not devoted to something eternal. You can’t love God and the world. The stronger love drives out the weaker, and then we know who loves the world, and who loves Christ, simply by what they do.
Satan can grab ‘good’ people who proclaim their penance and piety. ‘Very often, indeed are mortal wounds obscured by the odor of sanctity.’ The devil can grab you if you’re too busy or even an eloquent, elegant speaker, but not if your heart is aflame with love for Jesus Christ and you couldn’t care less about pride. People stop spiritual workouts, become flabby and feeble. They love sit-ups first, then Heath Bars.
Have you felt any physical sensations during worship or devotion? What fans into flame love for God in your heart? Reading? Listening to preaching? Praying? Fellowship with other people? Enjoying creation? What do you love? Are you becoming like what you love? Let’s not hide our light, but shine! This week, check your heart, and ask if your love for God has to compete with love for the world. Worldly honors tempt pride, so let’s instead look for ways to deflect any praise we get to God from whom all blessing flow. Let’s build up our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Let’s regain spiritual eyesight and focus on God’s Kingdom.
Editorial Note: Stanley Scism founded and presides over Scism Christian Institute (named after his grandfather, Ellis Scism,) teaches there, pastors Yesu Mandali in Nepal and Yesu Kalishia in India, speakes in various places, edits Glory magazine, writes books, songs and articles, and rejoices that more people are coming to know Jesus Christ.
