And the bush was not consumed

At first I thought it just wasn’t right to have a fire in the fireplace without the logs burning up. At my house we can do that because the logs are ceramic and the fire is fueled by gas. It is very convenient because we don’t have to clean up the ashes afterward. But it’s not quite right.

Apparently Moses thought the same thing. When he was out in the desert he saw a bush which seemed to be on fire, but there was something wrong with it. The bush was not burned up. According to the story in Exodus chapter 3, he went to investigate and found God’s presence in the bush.

Above the main entrance to a Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City is the inscription “AND THE BUSH WAS NOT CONSUMED”.  When God choses to be in something or someone, the thing or person is not consumed. The fire, its light and power and heat, is provided by God and does not damage the person or object where it rests.

When people get “on fire” and become passionate about politics, social action, ecology, or any other worthy cause, they can be eaten up personally by their work. Especially in the helping professions, such as medicine, counselling, teaching, or any form of public service, people often “burn out”. They get used up, lose their energy and interest (and perhaps their health and close relationships), and want to quit.

But the fire of God doesn’t burn us up. When God sent the Holy Spirit to the believers for the first time, tongues of fire appeared over the heads of each one (Acts chapter 2). Far from being consumed, they were energized and empowered. Peter stood up and preached a sermon where 3,000 people were converted. The result was a movement which became the Church.

People get fired up by the Spirit today, also. This is actually what God wants to do with all of us. The Spirit enables us to love the Lord passionately and serve Him with enthusiasm and power. If we carefully follow the direction of the Spirit, we don’t burn out. We turn out to be very much more than we were before. We’re even more our real selves.

But it often happens that we are tempted to do more than what we were called to do. Or, worse, to do things that are actually harmful. Yes, you can burn out. Years ago I was given an oil lamp, which often smoked. The wicks didn’t seem to last very long, either. Then I learned that I was adjusting the lamp wrong, so it was actually burning the wick instead of the oil. When I discovered how to trim it back, it gave more light and the wick lasted as it should have.

Christians often do burn out. Pastors, missionaries, teachers, counselors, all face the temptation to do more than they are called to do, to take on burdens they were not meant to carry. They want to help, and can end up destroying themselves. Jesus invites them to come to Him, and He will give them rest for their souls and bodies.

God invites us to be on fire with the Holy Spirit because He loves us and wants to be in us. But He won’t burn you up.