When I arrived at the Newark, New Jersey, airport, one of the terminals was on fire. Fire trucks and firefighters were everywhere. As you could imagine, chaos ensued.
As a result, nothing worked. Planes were not flying. Electricity was shut off. Boarding passes were not printing. The gas lines were disabled. Coffee wasn’t perking. And people were piled high like mounds of luggage. I eventually boarded a plane manually, meaning the gate agents had to check each passengers without computer assistance. Rather, we had to show our personal ID and our name was verified with the home office via cell phone communication. Newark was affected through and through by a fire. By the way, the report I heard was that no one was injured, only inconvenienced.
Being a lover of God’s Word, it reminded me of a verse and the affect God’s cleansing fire is to have on our entire lives. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Like an airport fire that affected everyone and everything that day, fire from on high can affect you to the core. Every area of our lives can be transformed. The God of peace would like nothing more than to apply his sanctifying and purifying grace to the lives of all who ask for it.
Believe me, no one asked for the airport fire. It literally affected everything and everyone. My prayer, however, is that we all would ask for the “through and through” power of Jesus in our lives. Let him affect everything in your life, your present and future. Ask the Holy Spirit to sanctify every piece of your life with his peace. Believe God himself can transform and purify your heart. Know that the Lord of heaven can bring heaven to earth, your household, your workplace, your school, your church, your community, your nation, and his world.
Dr. Jim Dunn is executive director of Church Multiplication and Discipleship for The Wesleyan Church.
