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I was driving to work one morning, thinking about the things I am, and was, passionate about. Growing up, I loved content production, photography and videography, and I'm blessed to be doing that as my profession today. But as I reflected, I realized I rarely create content anymore, just for the joy of it. The whole process now feels tiresome, even dreadful.
That thought led me to a picture: a bonfire that burns strongly at first, but slowly dies down to a single ember because no one stoked it or added fresh wood. That bonfire represents every area of our lives we're supposed to be maintaining. Some are burning much stronger than others. Some are just about dead.
Does that sound familiar? Think about the areas of your life you're passionate about, or once were. What's the current state of that fire? Do you have a campfire for God?
Our relationship with God should be the strongest, the highest priority bonfire we maintain.
You see, starting the Christian journey is easy. However living it out faithfully, is a constant, ongoing decision to keep following Jesus.
It's easy to start because God draws people to himself (John 12:32), and because it's easier to learn about God today than at almost any point in history. The Bible is the most circulated book in the world, and Christian content reaches people constantly through social media, music, and worship events, even people without a personal faith.
But if you were to ask well-seasoned Christians, you will hear that it truly is hard to live out. Faith in Jesus faces real, often severe persecution around the world. Scripture stands in direct contrast to the standards of today's world (1 John 2:15–17), and the enemy actively works to distract us from walking with God, through our own desires, our hardships, and more (1 Peter 5:8).
Jesus put it plainly to his disciples:
“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.” - Matthew 16:24–27, ESV
God gave the world genuine free will to follow Jesus or not. “If anyone would come after me” — the choice is yours. Like the campfire, you can choose to keep the fire burning, but that means doing the work to maintain it. (This is a statement about faith and obedience, not about how a person is saved.)
He's looking for people whose lives are laid down and surrendered to him, whatever the cost. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow to the king of Babylon's god, choosing a fiery furnace over compromise, because of their loyalty to the one true God. That same kind of costly faithfulness is happening today, in places where people are persecuted, even killed, for their faith in Jesus.
Scripture describes our reunion with Jesus as a wedding, Christ as the groom coming for his bride, the global Church. Wouldn't you want your groom, or your bride, to be pure, faithful, and genuinely loving? Genuine love isn't built overnight. It's built through a journey of knowing each other and staying faithful through good and bad. Our life here on earth is our preparation for the day we're reunited with Jesus.
John writes, “But whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:5–6). And Jesus himself said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).
The more we experience life with Jesus, the more our love should grow, leading us toward repentance and obedience.
“Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Losing your life for Jesus' sake isn't about literal martyrdom, though for believers in some parts of the world, tragically, it has been. It's about living a life dedicated to seeking and following him. Revelation 21 gives us a glimpse of what that life looks like for eternity:
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God's dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’” (Revelation 21:3–4)
Back to the bonfire: whatever you put the most effort toward will burn the strongest.
Which area of your life is burning the strongest right now? Are there areas that need more of your effort? And which fires do you need to let go of, to make room for what truly matters?
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matthew 6:19–21)