Dead Candles

Last night, we went to church....on a Wednesday night! WOW, I can't even remember the last time we went to a church that had Wednesday night services. Anyway, it was really awesome. The pastor involved everyone in discussion and it was really cool. 


While I was listening I imagined a room full of dead candles....you know, just used burned out candles. The service had started out with a song that said something like "no one can take me from you". I just couldn't stop thinking about that line in the song, how true it was. How it doesn't matter your current circumstance, your history, any tragedy or any mistake you have made, NO ONE and NOTHING can take you from God. We are HIS!! Even when we feel miles away from him, we are still his. 


When thinking about the candles I imagined that this is God's people. We are like those candles at many times in our lives. We have the word of God that is active and alive inside us, we have what we need to live out our lives each and every single day right there inside of us. But what we don't do is do anything to light the wick! All it would take for those candles to come alive again is a match. But as long as they sit there, they remain dead...lifeless...useless to anyone. 


I don't know about you but I don't want to be a dead candle. I don't want God's light to be burned out in me and the only thing people see is darkness. I want a fire burning so strong in me that people can't help but follow the light. I want to focus so fully on him that nothing else in this life matters. What will you do? Will you sit around and wait for someone else to light your candle or pick up the match yourself and do it now?

I know some of you probably wonder how in the world you would light your own candle. I think so many of us, me included, expect others to light it for us. We go around expecting others to know we are dead on the inside and want them to bring life to us. But we remain the same because we can only get true life from God. Only God can truly meet our needs. As long as we expect to get our needs met from others, we will continue having to get our needs met that way and be disappointed. Some ways I use to light my own candle is reading the word, praying, doing daily devotions, I love listening to worship music, and I am sure there are many other ways as well. Pray, and God will surely reveal how to light yours!