Many years ago I thought eradicating a pest with a 5 gallon can of gas and a match would be the way. The destruction was to say the least, a little more than I bargained for!

As I shared the gospel of Jesus this week, I thought, how many times in the past did I bring a “can of gas and match” to remove some thing under the guise of sharing?

This week, both those folks responded to love. Not my love, but His love through me. Why do I credit Him? In my own right I am a gasoline and a match carrying person. Only God could work through it.

And so, as I arose early this morning, to the sounds of my newest grandson cooing in the other room, I saw a fire. As I walked down the stairs to get coffee and read, I saw fire. There is a fire in the earth today. Much of that fire as I watch is brought about by “card carrying” religious zealotry and matches and gasoline. The scripture tells us that “the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course”. I pondered this.

Like many I watched the recent “firestorm” surrounding the famous ministers, the doctrine of grace and such. The tongue (print, words, Facebook, blogs and more has brought about a “defilement” to the body changing the course. A “burning” body often changes course! (Hopefully to the river!)

I have done my share of “burning” things in the course of my walk. I wish I could fix it but I can’t. Like the explosion I touched off with gasoline and a match as a young child, it quickly went out of control.

I said yesterday, “Too often what you say is NOT what others think you said.” On some level I am sure there is the idea of “miscommunication”. Some place where truth is not communicated accurately, BUT I am speaking of the out of control craziness that occurs. Whatever happened to Matthew 5:21-26? “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell[e] of fire. So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison. Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.” (By the way I do realize this is old covenant, so should not we live better, higher?”)

Open letters, diatribes and such, please for the love of God, pick up the phone!

I have witnessed this scenario over and over. It is like two parents. Both want the best for their child, but when one goes to discipline, the other begins to baby the child(It is not about a gender, but a scenario.) and soon you have two parents polarizing more and more and a child “playing” them like a fiddle! That is what I am seeing. A word of correction comes that benefits and blesses the person being corrected and others in sympathy run to protect. End game? Polarization and immature folks.

It is truly time to lay down the gasoline. Put away the matches. And let the fires of polarization and disparity evaporate for how will they “know us by our love”?

And those two folks I ministered to this week? Pray for them. They have watched the fires of religious venom and wonder who is this God? How does this work? I truly plan to reveal Him as I have. People are watching. Do no think they are not.

And so as the vision remains, I see little pockets of quiet as people lay down their cans and their matches.