March 8, 2007

“They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” Luke 24:32.
On the road back home from Jerusalem, two travelers, who had been followers of Jesus, were joined in their travels by a stranger. When enjoined to stay the night and share a meal with them, this stranger did so. As he was giving thanks and breaking the bread for their meal, the two travelers recognized him as the resurrected Jesus. Their eyes had been opened and they saw who this man really was. At that moment, Jesus disappeared from their sight, and they marveled, asking one another about their burning hearts within their chests. In looking back, they realized who was traveling along side them, and they rejoiced at their personal witness of their Master’s resurrection.
These men, upon reflection, realized that the burning within their chests was their response to Jesus opening up the Scriptures to them as they walked along. While they may not have recognized their Master, they certainly felt the familiar impact of the message upon their souls. Their hearts burned within them. Fire is an image in the New Testament for the presence of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. At the first coming of the Holy Spirit, it was said that He came to the new believers as “tongues of fire”. There must have been a burning within them, as well.
I must admit that there have been many times when I have not felt so much as a flicker of heat from a fire burning within my chest. For whatever reason, I have known times when this heart within my chest has been pretty cold and in need of much warming! Usually this is because I am in a very self-oriented posture, and am not particularly interested in intentionally following Christ. And yet, there have been other times when I felt like I was on fire from the burning of His word within my soul. Can you relate to any of these sensations? Have you experienced that burning heart upon hearing God’s word spoken to you? In response to their recognition of Jesus, these travelers gathered their things together, and set off for Jerusalem to tell the community their story. They could not wait to act upon their burning hearts! Does God warming your heart move you to action? What has He provoked you to do? Is there anything hindering you from stepping forward to doing that which He has called you to do? Today, I encourage you to look at how God causes our heart to burn within us, and how He uses this to call us into action for His kingdom sake. “Were not our hearts burning within us?”