Wednesday, January 23, 2008

guest blogger...nate b

this was from nate's worship e-mail this week...it was so good i stole it:

Dave likes candles. Actually, I like candles a lot too, but I'm in Dave's office right now, and I'm looking around and I'm thinking to myself... yea, lots of candles. There's this especially cool one near my computer that I often light while I work: it is thick and white and it has three wicks in it... I know, super fancy, Dave's taste in wax paraphernalia is impeccable. Anyway, I lit this candle when I came in this morning, like I normally do, but today, for some reason there was all this wax oozing over the sides of it, sort of making this big mess of things, so I decided to blow it out...

This brings me to my next point, I love the smell of candles. They don't have to be scented, but obviously the scented ones smell awesome. I have this blue candle in my room that I got at Target and it is my all time favorite. I don't even know what the flavor is, but I can say that the smell is sort of tropical and sweet. The point that I'm trying to make is that although I love the smell of candles that are lit, I stinking hate the smell of candles when you blow them out, which is what I am smelling now. It smells like smoke and ash and sulfur and charcoal and I don't like it. It offends my delicate nasal palate, which has been tediously refined for the enjoyment of candles that are lit.

And I've been thinking this morning that God probably views our lives in much of the same way. When we are lit and advancing the kingdom, when we are fulfilling our purpose (what does a scented candle do besides smell good and provide sweet mood lighting?) God probably looks at us and says, "Oh yea, that's my favorite flavor." (Please insert The Ladies Man voice when you read that sentence.) The cool thing is that when we are really burning good, you know, when you're are really in the presence of God worshiping, or you are working your hands to the bone at a food shelter, we are burning so intensely that all of the wax is just oozing all over the place. The remnants of our God encounter are getting all over the place, spilling onto people and sticking to them with the tenacity of... well... dried wax.

Ah, but the analogy goes further you see. I'm sitting here this morning and wondering, what are the things that I allow to blow out my spiritual-scented-candle? What are the things that I allow to distract me from my relationship with God? And I can also imagine somewhere in the heavenlies when I allow my pride or my lust or my anger to get in the way of me functioning in my purpose (which is to bring as much glory to Jesus Christ every stinkin' day) I can imagine God wrinkling his nose in heaven and saying, "Hey, what the heck, who blew that candle out? Aw man, now it stinks like smoke breath."

When I blow out my favorite candle, even though it stinks for a while, it is still my favorite candle, so it's not like God is going to throw us away or anything, but I'm just trying to do my job you know? I just want to be a good scented candle.

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So this week, throughout the week, and when we come together on Sunday, let's keep this image in our mind's eye. Can we burn bright like awesome smelling scented candles? Can we make a mess this week worshiping the Lord and getting our God-wax all over everyone we interact with? Can we identify the things in our lives that we allow to quench our fire for God and make us smell like car exhaust? Can we offer worship and prayers that are like sweet-smelling incense?

This is my prayer. For all of us to become scented candles. Ones that are lit by the flame of God's Spirit dwelling within us. Ones that make God's nostrils happy.

1 comments:

Anonymous said...

'ever have those moments where you think to yourself "man! i wish i would've thought of that!"

yeah-- thats crossed my mind when i read this.

very, very cool observation. loved it!!!!it's so real...

 

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