Today is…

a great day to fan the flames of faith.

“So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.”  Acts 16:5 NASB

There are over one billion Christians in the world today.

By any standards that is a huge number of people. It has taken a long time to get to the point that we are now, and it has not always been an easy journey. Many people have gone before us with untold thousands giving their lives making their way through unknown territory. While the flames of faith burn brightly around the world today, it takes the commitment of each and every one of us to continually fan those flames, to keep them burning brightly, and to help them spread.

In 1846, a group of pioneers set out to California from Illinois. The distance they traveled can now be covered in a car in a matter of days, regardless of the weather, the time of day, or the time of year. What would become known as the “Donner Party” fought for months to arrive at a point where there was one obstacle to overcome before arriving in the place that held all of their hopes, and dreams.

After their long journey, the eighty-seven members of George Donner’s party were delayed almost a month by an ill-advised “short cut” that resulted in them being caught high in the mountains in a raging blizzard. They were only a few miles short of the path that would give them access to the final leg of their journey. But it would take them over five months and cost 47 of the 87 members of the group their lives before the last portion of the journey ended. Today one can travel through what is now known as “Donner Pass” in a manner of minutes by car or truck over the highway that closely follows the route of those pioneers.

There are still individuals “blazing trails” in the wilderness as they fan the flames of faith by spreading the word of God in remote places of the world that are not unlike the rugged, untamed country faced by the Donner party. These men and women are determined to bring the word of God to as many individuals as they possibly can and work tirelessly in less-than-ideal conditions to follow the same instructions that Jesus gave to His disciples before ascending into heaven: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15 KJV).

We do not all have to run off to remote corners of the world to fan the flames of faith, but if that is your calling, people are certainly needed to join the ranks of those who do so. If it is not possible, one only need look around. No matter where one may look, lost souls are waiting to hear some really Good News.

Today is the day to give it to them and in doing so, you can help fan the flames of faith.

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Taken from “TODAY IS….A Gift From God”, (C) 2013 Tony Casson