THE FIRE OF ATTRACTION
The saints have seen the burning heart of God.
Their own love has leaped out in flaming response,
and they have loved the Lord their God with all their heart and soul and strength and mind—and their neighbor as themselves.
W. E. Sangster
Not until Jesus unveiled the burning heart of the Creator at Calvary could anyone imagine God’s kind of love. Solomon’s inspired love song penned the essence of it and spoke from God’s heart: “. . . for love is as strong as death, passion as cruel as Sh’ol; its flashes are flashes of fire, [as fierce as the] flame of Yah. No amount of water can quench love, torrents cannot drown it” (Song of Songs 8:6 & 7 CJB).
We hunger for a love we see reenacted over and over in love stories. The lover we’re drawn to in these stories is selfless and kind. He’s unwilling to be apart from his beloved. He’s attractive, so attractive, and expressive of his love, but never smothering. He knows no sacrifice too great in pursuit of the one he loves, to the point of heroism. Unlike all others, he wants only the highest good for the one he loves.
God created us to experience His love and know Him—that is our highest good. “You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11 NRSV).
What is the psalmist specifically talking about? David was a man after God’s heart. Do you think he meant that his pleasures were found in, and from, knowing God’s heart? Were the favors of God’s right hand spiritual favors? They are far better than earthly ones. David loved being with God!
When God is drawing us close, all it takes is a single spark to set our hearts on fire.
Here is a link to the third issue of FIRE – a journal for those who long for more of God. Please feel free to pass this on and be sure to subscribe to http://burningheartsforgod.com for future quarterly issues.
PLAN A SPIRITUAL RETREAT DAY FOR YOUR SMALL GROUP OR CHURCH!
Rekindle your heart and plan a special day with God. Check HERE and on the Burning Hearts for God website for ideas and themes.
Contact me directly for personal spiritual retreat day material: [email protected]
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A Memorial Day Tribute to Calvin Miller
Writers have mentors they look up to and one of mine is author Calvin Miller. I met him once. He sat across from me at a table for six at a writers conference. He was one of many presenters and guests that day. I was delightfully surprised to see an open place at his table during our lunch break. Conference attendees were encouraged to choose and join a featured guest, agent, editor, or speaker at their assigned table with the promise of engaging with him or her one-on-one. It was a chance to get advice, pitch your book idea, or make a connection with someone in the Christian publishing industry. I didn’t care to sit with an agent or an acquisitions editor, nor anyone else, not when Calvin Miller was in the room! Holy Moly!
He was such a humble soul, Calvin Miller. A deep thinker. A man who understood God’s “Story” and was a gifted artist at revealing God, especially the heart and mind of God, to others.
I wish I could tell you what we talked about. Our eyes locked while we discussed whatever it was and that was enough for me. I knew God had given me the favor.
Here’s a sample of the beauty and depth of man who really knew God. This is an excerpt from A Requiem for Love, from The Singer Trilogy. (Here’s a link to this book from our book store.)
The setting is just outside the gates of the Garden of Eden. We’re in the middle of a scene with the Creator, whose name is Father-Spirit, and Slithe, the serpent.
“Welcome to your your Garden, Eminence,”
The rising reptile hissed.
Earthmaker turned,
“Slithe, once-loved, once crowned
Can this be you,
Self-damned, condemned to sand?”
Slithe laughed.
“Lock me from the green, it is only for a while.
Full well you know I will be in.”
“Once the entire universe was yours.
You chose these desert chains.”
“I chose a throne and got the chains,”
The serpent spewed his bitter grudge.
The Father-Spirit turned toward the gates
As they swung slowly open.
His old accuser blinked into the distant splendor.
“Will You succeed this time
In fashioning a lover?
Who will remain a lover?
Or, is Your new creation
Destined to betray You?
Why are You forever
Planting hope in high-walled gardens?”
The Father-Spirit looked away.
“Terra holds this Sanctuary as a dream
Where love abused by treachery
May mold a masterpiece of hope.
Today I crown all I have ever made
And honor Terra’s clay by stamping it Imago Mei,
A man, a prince–Regis, friend of spirit.
He shall wear the crown of love you cast aside.
But you will never see his coronation,
For only perfect love shall pass these gates.”
This, and the rest of their conversation, unveils more truth and depth of God’s Word, God’s heart, God’s purposes, in a short poetic story than if you were to study theology and philosophy all your life. Do your heart a favor, follow the link below and read the letter Calvin Miller wrote to you, as a member of the Church, before he passed on to heaven. This is an important reminder to all of us to focus on what is vital in life.
Calvin Miller’s Letter to the Church
I invite you to visit and subscribe to Burning Hearts for God where you can visit the book store for more information about Calvin Miller’s book!
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