The lieutenant took a break from dispatching information on the radio to dish out some orders upon seeing a visible smoke plume a mere three blocks away."Grab the roof, Hand." he barked, assigning him to open a roof hatch.Finding the stairwell, Clay Ennis Hand attacked the six story ascent with vigor. This famed building housed the largest Gold's Gym and Recreation Center in the world. Normally people would be flooding the gym even at this early morning hour, but luckily this was Sunday and business hours wouldn't begin until 10:00 am. The stairwell allowed only limited visibility due to the obvious power outage from the ensuing fire. Or was it smoky? The emergency lights gave off a greenish hue through the haze.As he popped the roof access panel, Clay noticed the sky bleeding in the east with dawn arriving. The breaking light reminded him of a bible verse. "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His son, purifies us from all sin." (I John 1: 7) Awesome sunrise.He began the descent, his assignment completed. His legs burned, bringing his attention to them. He was in too good of shape to be fatigued so early. Then he felt it on his neck, then his ears, then his back. The burning brought panic and he picked up the pace, the stairs flying by, two at a time. The stairwell appeared even more green now. Finally it made sense. Clorine gas!He exploded through a door at the bottom of the stairs, and was glad to see the open expanse of a parking lot. His vision still obscured with the dark haze, he was running now. The floor became suddenly spongy, and he immediately felt gravity overtake him. His feet tangled, launching him forward, landing with a splash.This wasn't the parking lot! He had found the olympic-sized swimming pool, for his hasty escape had taken him down one floor too many - into the basement. The cool water permeated to his skin and relieved his burning flesh, but the canvas pool cover enveloped him tightly, trapping most of him submerged just below the surface. Luckily, his head was held above the water. His low pressure alarm whistled, slightly muffled by an occasional wave. Five minutes of air left.If we have a real relationship with Jesus, we can expect to be on a lifelong mission right where we live. He has a long list of projects for us to participate in if we simply surrender to His lordship and obey His teachings. As we experience God working aroud us, join Him in that work, and learn how to really believe in Him through active faith, we can have an awesome fellowship with the one and only, living God. This fellowship is rooted in love and will be shown in our relationships with others. We will no longer behave as hypocrites by loving God and mistreating others. Being united with the heart of God, we will instead share the same love He demonstrated by dying on the the cross, forever paying the penalty for our sins. We no longer have to think of ourselves as outsiders, scorned by God's wrath. Because of the debt He paid for us, He sees us as clean and righteous, before Him a new creation.It's about time we start ot love ourselves the way He loves us; to see ourselves the way He sees us. How else could a perfect, holy God invite us to have fellowship with Him if we were not already made clean? We know that God cannot look upon sin, but Jesus stands in the gap, vouching for us, testifying that His sacrifice was enough for us. Accept it, believe it, and enjoy it. To God be the glory.Next week: Unit 12: Continuing Fellowship With God.
