James and John said,
“Boss, do you want us to command fire
to come down from heaven and consume them?”
—Luke 9.54
Don’t you just want to slap James and John
for being such idiots?
In fact, why stop there?
Why not command fire to come down and consume them?
Funny how (a) we want to destroy people who disagree with us,
(b) we imagine we can do so, even if just by insulting them, and
(c) we assume Jesus likes that.
Wrong all three times.
(When fire actually does come down from heaven, as at Pentecost,
it doesn’t destroy people; it destroys our divisions, connects us,
and helps us communicate when previously we hadn’t.)
So when people won’t listen to us or even won’t accept us,
what do we do? Instead of calling down fire,
call up the fruits the Spirit has given you:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Practice this among your enemies and see how you are blessed.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net