A Fire Burning in My Heart
Most of us, as believers, can relate to Jeremiah. He was so ridiculed for delivering the truth of God to the people that he wanted to stop mentioning the Lord or speaking in His name. (Jeremiah 20:9) It is very hard when people treat us differently because we are Christians. It is very hurtful when they call us derogatory names. It is especially painful when we have someone act in a very hateful way, or we get fired from our job, just for speaking about the Lord. However, I believe that what Jeremiah experienced after he wanted to quit sharing the truth is what all true believers will experience. The words of God's message became a fire in his heart, shut up in his bones. He became tired of holding it in, and finally he had to share it. God's message prevailed over his desire to be quiet. This is the nature of being a follower of Jesus, because we know the consequences of not sharing the truth with others.
The Bible is clear. All of us have sinned, and we all fall short of God's glory. We all must have our sins forgiven by God's grace through putting our faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Nothing else can atone for our sins and enable us to go to heaven for eternity. That is the message of truth from the Lord that all people must hear and receive, or they will suffer in Hell forever. Once we know this, we can't hold it in, no matter how much people mistreat us. We can't refrain from speaking because the "love of Christ compels us" to to do our part for the salvation of other people. Yes, it can be hard, but that is why God saved us from our sins. He didn't just give us a ticket to heaven. He made us ambassadors for Christ. We have the good news for everyone. If we try to hold it in, our hearts and bones will burn up with guilt. The Holy Spirit will make sure we do not prevail, but we talk about our Lord and Savior. If we do not have that fire, we need to check out our salvation. John tells us that we can't love God and hate other people. If we love God, we will love others, and to love them is to care enough to share the truth.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read Jeremiah 21-23.