On Fire or Burned Out?

The other day, in one of the most inspiring sermons I've ever heard, a preacher--Dr. Thomson Mathew--told of watching a world-record breaking event in which a man in Sydney, Australia managed to pull a 747 airplane one hundred yards in only one minute and twenty seconds. Although the feat was truly amazing, the preacher said that afterwards he noticed that the athlete looked completely worn out. Not only was he staggering as if he could barely take another step, but he was panting, his tongue literally hanging out of his mouth, as if he hardly had the strength to draw another breath.

Why was the man so exhausted? The reason is obvious: airplanes are designed not to be pulled but to be flown.

The preacher applied this to how followers of Jesus often live their lives. They try to be good in their own strength, forgetting that Jesus has given them a source of strength that can enable them to live for Him without becoming exhausted.

What is that source of strength? The question really should be: Who is that source of strength? It is none other than the Holy Spirit, the other Comforter, that Jesus promised to give to His disciples after He returned to heaven. It is only on the wings of the heavenly Dove that we can live our lives without becoming overwhelmed and over extended.

By relying on the Holy Spirit rather than on our own puny efforts, we--like Moses' burning bush--can be on fire, without being consumed.