useless fire..

"'oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar!'" - malachi 1:10

i'm trying more and more every day not to be a "useless fire." a lot of what i do builds up a useless fire until it burns away and i realize there's nothing left. even the things i do in selfishness and for my own glory leave me with nothing in the end, when i expect it to fill me up. i'm guilty of it all the time, but the Lord's love changes and heals and makes new. He has made Himself faithful through everything in my life, and i need to be faithful back. i need to "shut my temple doors" to sin and faithlessness.

there's a Jesus Culture song called "burning ones" that has a few really great lines that connect with this verse. [listen here]

so let this love be like a fire
let our life be like a flame
fill our souls with Your desire
let our passion bring You fame

all of that is what i want.

<3.