“You Were Made To Burn”
by brian rushing
Today, I basically just want to share with you an extended quote from J. C. Ryle. This quote describes what it means to have zeal (or great passion) for God.
Zeal in religion is a burning desire to please God, to do His will, and to advance His glory in the world in every possible way. It is a desire which no man feels by nature—which the Spirit puts in the heart of every believer when he is converted—but which some believers feel so much more strongly than others that they alone deserve to be called ‘zealous’ men ….
A zealous man in religion is pre-eminently a man of one thing. It is not enough to say that he is earnest, hearty, uncompromising, thorough-going, whole-hearted, fervent in spirit.
He only sees one thing, he cares for one thing, he lives for one thing, he is swallowed up in one thing; and that one thing is to please God.
Whether he lives, or whether he dies—
whether he has health, or whether he has sickness—
whether he is rich, or whether he is poor—
whether he pleases man, or whether he gives offence—
whether he is thought wise, or whether he is thought foolish—
whether he gets blame, or whether he gets praise—
whether he gets honour, or whether he gets shame—
for all this the zealous man cares nothing at all.
He burns for one thing; and that one thing is to please God, and to advance God’s glory.If he is consumed in the very burning, he cares not for it—he is content. He feels that, like a lamp, he is made to burn; and if consumed in burning, he has but done the work for which God appointed him.
Such a one will always find a sphere for his zeal.
If he cannot preach, work, and give money, he will cry, and sigh, and pray…. If he cannot fight in the valley with Joshua, he will do the work of Moses, Aaron, and Hur, on the hill (Exodus 17:9-13). If he is cut off from working himself, he will give the Lord no rest till help is raised up from another quarter, and the work is done. This is what I mean when I speak of ’zeal’ in religion. (Practical Religion, 1959 ed., p. 130)
Jesus said that you are the light of the world. You are that lamp (or candle) that was made to burn. Are you willing to be consumed in the burning, allowing your wick to burn up and your wax to pour out, spending yourself and being spent, knowing that you are simply being consumed by the work that God has appointed for you?
God, help me to be willing to be consumed in the very burning of serving You.
(Quotes in today’s post are from Practical Religion by J. C. Ryle)