Endless Fire

Several years ago, I bought a cord of wood. I really had no idea how much a cord of would was volume- wise until I saw the dude dump the pile in my backyard and then had to move the pile three times piece-by-stinking piece for different reasons (aesthetic, structural). The wood has found its permanent home in the shed out back and seems to be quite content. I am keeping an eye out for termite squatters.

Since we received our first substantial snow of the season yesterday, the snow in October does not count because it was a freak out-of-season anomaly, I fired up the fireplace. I was in a festive mood having finished the most recent draft of my book. I poured a few shots of Jack Daniels in a glass with ice and set about to start a fire. Soon, I would be basking in warmth from both the flame and Jack. Following pilfered knowledge from the Boy Scout manual about how to start a fire, visions of relaxing on the couch permeated my mind.

I had forgotten that our old school brick fireplace eats wood like a ravenous beast. It is insatiable, like those tourists who pour into local Lancaster food establishment buffets. Lina was making stew on the stove and I was feeding the fire. Periodically, we would have to stop the final movie in the Harry Potter series for her to stir the pot and for me to throw more wood into the abyss. I must have burned 40 or so logs last night. All that is left are ashes.

All this work made me reflect on the Old Testament sacrificial system. For centuries, the priest in the Temple, offered up burnt offerings. The fires were daily because sin was daily. The Lord created the provision for sin while all the time declaring that He desired obedience and not sacrifice. Sin always requires a costly sacrifice. So the fires burned, the cycle of sin and sacrifice--a true catch 22. When Jesus offered Himself up on the Cross, the fires of the sacrificial substitutionary system for sin was finally quenched. God's own holiness became the offering. It was the only way for the earthly altar to cool because Christ--and the merit of He the the mediator's offering--still burns in Heaven, once and for all.  

Are you throwing the wood of your good works on the fire, trying to appease God? The false warmth is only temporary. You will run out of wood soon enough, for this life is but a moment. You have no offering but Christ. Drop your pile of rot and flee to Him.