Standing Outside The Fire

"We call them cool/
Those hearts that have no scars to show/
The ones that never do let go/
And risk the tables being turned/

We call them fools/
Who have to dance within the flame/
Who chance the sorrow and the shame/
That always comes with getting burned/

But you got to be tough/
When consumed by desire/
'Cause it's not enough/
Just to stand outside the fire/

Standing outside the fire/
Standing outside the fire/
Life is not tried, it is merely survived/
If you're standing outside the fire."

Garth Brooks is probably my favorite country singer, and it's because of songs like "Standing Outside The Fire." The lyrics and message are outstanding.

Where are you standing today?

International ministry is tough and trying and not for the faint of heart. God is not looking for wimps or cowards in international ministry. Your faith will be stretched, perhaps to its limit, and you'll be flung far outside your comfort zone. Just like the apostle Paul was.

You may be singed and you may get burned. You may have to patch wounds, and you may have to grow a lot of scar tissue.

But that's where the glory is.

You may not be singing "Standing Outside The Fire" next Sunday at church, but you should take its message to heart, and apply it to your ministry. Be willing to get scarred. Be willing to face the heat. Be willing to get burned. Be willing to take a risk. Be willing to fall short and try again. And again. Persevere. Don't quit. Don't give up!

Hebrews 12:29 (NIV) - "Our God is a consuming fire."

Be more than just a survivor. Your life and your international ministry are not tried, they are merely survived, if you're standing outside the fire. Be willing to get inside the fire. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did, and God was with them in the fiery furnace, and God saved them, and God blessed them. He will do the same for you. Be willing to get inside the fire, in whatever way that it is burning in your life, and then watch what God does for you and your ministry.