The Truth of Being Rekindled.
Abbie Burgess began keeping the lighthouse on the Maine Coast at age 15 with her father in 1853. She was the fourth of nine children. At 16 years old, her father left the lighthouse to pick up supplies and his paycheck from a nearby town. A massive storm hit Maine for three days while her father was gone, and the island began to flood with knee-deep water. Abbie and her sister had to secure the windows of their home, to keep the waves from crashing in, but still their home began to flood. The lighthouse tower was their only hope.
Through the middle of the storm, Abbie carried her invalid mother and all of her sisters to higher ground in the lighthouse tower, and even managed to save all but one of her chickens before a wave destroyed their chicken coop. Through the entire storm, Abbie kept the lights burning, signaling ships caught in the storm. Her family stayed alive for four weeks by eating one cup of cornmeal mush and one egg per day, until her father returned. She became known as “The Girl of the Storm,” and in 2023, the Coast Guard named one of their cutters after her.
Later, Abbie reminisced about her burden of keeping the light burning in her lighthouse, even before that fateful storm…
“…sometimes they [the lights] would not burn so well when first lighted, especially in cold weather when the oil got cold. Then, some nights, I could not sleep a wink all night though I knew the keeper himself [her father] was watching. And many nights I have watched the light my part of the night, thinking nervously, what might happen should the light fail.
In all these years I always put the lamps in order and I lit them at sunset.”
Abbie knew that keeping the oil lamp burning meant life and death for the sailors out at sea. It would keep her awake at night, and she would devote most of her adult life to ensure that the sailors out at sea would safely reach home.
How is the spiritual flame in your heart burning? Is that fire going out in your heart? There are others who need to see that light brightly burning, but fear, doubt, discouragement, and difficulty all tend to drain the hope and energy out of our lives.
As we turn to 2 Corinthians 4, Paul’s description of life seems bleak. He uses the phrases…
- Troubled on Every Side. (v. 8)
- Perplexed. (v. 8)
- Persecuted. (v. 9)
- Cast Down. (v. 9)
- Perishing. (v. 16)
- Afflicted. (v. 17)
In reality, these words can describe many lives right now. Yes, we can plaster on a smile and greet everyone with a “Good morning,” but deep inside, we need to be rekindled.
What does it mean to be rekindled?
In the first two verses of 2 Corinthians 4, we begin with the word “therefore.” Many a preacher has reminded their congregation that when you see the word “therefore” you need to find out what it is there for! In this case, Paul is referring back to the previous chapter, specifically the ministry that God had given to him and the gift of the Holy Spirit in his life. (3:17-18) Then in verse two, Paul establishes that he has not dealt with them deceitfully nor has he twisted the Word of God. He has simply revealed the truth to them.
I don’t mean to give a spoiler right at the beginning, but in verse two, Paul already gives the solution… The truth is what will rekindle you.
Paul uses contrasts all throughout this passage to prove his point. (He already did this in verse 2 with “dishonesty” and “truth.”) So for the next few weeks, let’s examine three contrasts that reveal how to be rekindled.
