Fire in the heart

'he will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out.' Matt 3:11 The Message

As 'spiritual leaders' it is very easy to slip into focusing on external conformity to moral rules and standards. It is so satisfying - seeing our people 'performing' and looking 'holy.' But - it seems to require a lot of energy and hard work to keep them 'performing' up to standard. Right living is important (if we don't live 'well', we will experience 'sickness' in our relationships, etc.), but is only authentic and lasting if the motivation comes from a changed and fired up heart. When our heart is full of real kingdom of heaven life - we will live well, not becuase we 'should', but because we can (and want to).

As a spiritual leader, I am determined to focus more on keeping my people ignited in their hearts with a passion for the kingdom of heaven, and full of the fire of the Spirit, than on performing and conforming to 'rules, standards, and expectations.'