The Burning Heart

It's hard to believe 20 days ago my bare toes were in the warm sands of the Island, and today my toes are kept warm only by socks!  Another thing hard to fathom is the struggle to sense the same closeness to The Father now that I am back at home.  Luke tells of two men who walked with Jesus toward the village of Emmaus but didn't even recognize Him as the Risen Jesus; they later said to one another, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?" (Luke 24:32).  What an appropriate description - a burning heart - the fiery oneness of personal time with God.  Oh, how easily and quickly the burning wanes: "It is the simple, dreary day, with its commonplace duties and people, that smothers the burning heart - unless we have learned the secret of abiding in Jesus." (Oswald Chambers). Truth is, Christ is omnipresent - He is everywhere.  Hear Jesus' words, "Abide in Me, and I in you." (John 15:4). The women at my church are studying how we can live a life of personal holiness, and "abiding" is a fundamental part.  It's keeping this main thing the overall main thing at all times, in all places, through all circumstances.  Abiding in Christ keeps the burning passion for righteousness - the burn - alive!  How's your burn?​