would you sizzle?

I’ve often thought about the kind of man I’d like to be…

And this illustration gets it.

A young Englishman training for the ministry is said to have complained to his instructing pastor, “I’m not the sort of man who could set the Thames on fire,” to which his elder replied, “Young man, I’m not concerned about your setting the Thames on fire. What I want to know is this: if I grabbed you by the scruff of your neck and dropped you into that river, would it sizzle?”

In other words, the fire of your holiness—your passion for God—is far more important than the fire of your oratory or leadership skills.

(quoted by Jared Wilson, in Gospel-Driven Ministry, p. 47)

Or as another old, gristled, and loving minister said to a young pastor, centuries before,

Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. 

I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.  (2Tim1:3-7, New Living Translation)

You don’t have to be a pastor for such sentiments to apply. Just someone who wants to make a difference in this ol’ broken down world. And the only way to do that is to pursue Christ. To move one step closer to Jesus, and take someone else with you as you do.

Fan into flame your love for Christ. And remember: a chief way to make your heart hotter for him is to remember that his heart is for you.