It was 3am and I was a young soldier on fire duty. Someone had set a large rubbish container alight and three of us had the task, along with our hand-pulled fire wagon and old hand-operated stirrup pumps, of attempting to extinguish the fire.

To no avail, I must add. That honour went to the local fire brigade.
More recently we have suffered a spate of fires in our area from wheelie bins to houses.

Fire is one of the most basic and fascinating things we experience in this life. In fact, the ancients included fire as one of the four basic elements of the universe, with earth, sky and water. Of the four, fire is the one that seems to actually be alive. It is associated with light, heat, power, destruction and wonderment.

How many of us can sit for long periods just staring into a blazing bonfire or an open fire? As long as it's contained in a box, we're in love with fire, but let it out and it takes on a life of its own and becomes the source of great fear.

The Bible speaks often about fire. For example, an Old Testament prophet used it as a symbol of God's cleansing power. The Bible proclaims God as a "consuming fire" that burns away our impurities but not our bodies.
The Angel of the Lord once appeared in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. The bush was burning but not consumed.

God raised up a prophet by the name of Malachi, to stir up repentance and renewal among the people. They had become sceptical and impatient because the glory of the former days had not returned. Listen to one of the messages Malachi preached in his day.

"But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify His people and refine them like gold and silver."

Malachi points the finger at them and says that they themselves need to be cleansed.

The New Testament picks up this same theme when the next prophet who comes on the scene, the very "messenger" of Malachi 3:1, predicts that Jesus will "baptise with the Holy Spirit and fire".

We may prefer to think about this "baptism in the Holy Spirit" as a glorious religious experience – it was meant to be for the total cleansing of our souls.

The truth is, we can accept the fire for cleansing now, or get it later.