For behold, the Lord will come in fire, and his chariots like the stormwind, to render his anger in fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire will the Lord execute judgment, and by his sword, upon all flesh; and those slain by the Lord shall be many (Isaiah 66:15,16).
Fires can change quickly. Wind, humidity, dryness, different fuel types and changes in terrain can cause a seemingly tame fire to become a monster very quickly. People have lost their lives because they did not respect the potential of a seemingly tame fire to become deadly.
One of the points that our fire-fighting instructor drove home is that the fire fighter always must have situational awareness; what is presently happening with the fire and predicting what could happen with the fire if possible changes actually happened. One cannot have good situational awareness if a lookout has not been posted, if communication is not good, if escape routes have not bee planned and if safety zones have not been established.
With all these precautions, sudden and unpredictable changes have taken the lives of fire fighters. As a result, a piece of equipment carried by range and forest fire fighters is a personal fire shelter; a fire fighter must be able to deploy it within twenty-five seconds because a fire can be on them that quickly. The personal fire shelter gives the fire fighter good odds of survival, but it is not a guarantee.
There is a life lesson here for all. God is not one with whom to trifle; do not be cavalier with him!!! Many "Christians" live as practical atheists, giving little thought to God and letting him have little to say about how they live their lives. They do not listen to the lookouts or take the escape routes, relying on their personal fire shelter, Jesus Christ, only in the last seconds. How will God deal with those who have given him little thought when they had opportunity, but, in crisis, grab for their personal fire shelter?
Grace&Peace;
Tom
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